Heart's Desire
by atrumdraco
Summary: Throughout existence there have been times when two souls were destined for each other, though each was unknowing of their Fate. So The Hunter was created to help those lost souls find what it is they truly need
1. Prologue: Forever And For Always

**Disclaimer: **I own everything! This includes the universe and everything in it! Mwahahahahahahaha mwahahahahahaha, hmm? Where are those tablets?

**Author's Note: **Hi all! I thought that I'd add a Remus/Sirius fic to my collection. Also I've got two other stories that I'm thinking about doing but I don't know which one to do first, so if you could all go to my profile and choose which one you're more interested in that would be wonderful, thanks and don't forget to R and R. Ciao!

**Prologue: Forever And For Always**

_An unchangeable choice is made..._

It was high noon and all was silent, the massive and complex Lapis Lazuli Temple stood proud and quiet against the sky. The people, all dark haired and dark skinned and pale eyed, stood proud and silent in the streets. Even the animals and elements were unnaturally still and quiet, as though everything was waiting.

Suddenly the silence was broken by a cheer that seemed to come from the people, animals and elements at once. Down the main through-way came a horse and rider, both were oddities on a planet dominated by dark people and animals. The horse, a magnificent, graceful, pure white stallion, was furnished in gear of a supple white leather.

The rider, who sat proud and regal in the saddle, had alabaster skin, silvery-white hair and startlingly dark violet eyes in such a pale face. The rider was definitely male, though you'd be forgiven for thinking otherwise, for he had incredibly feminine facial features and a delicate, though strong build. Dressed in the palest, purest silver silken clothes and with a pure silver coronet set with a marble sized diamond, the young man was obviously royalty.

Smiling at the cheering crowd the young man dismounted, whispered some words to the stallion, then turned and climbed the steps and entered the most sacred Temple of Seers.

'Welcome to the Temple of Fate, I am Nikolai of the House of Seers' greeted an elderly man who brought his hands together in front of him. His hands were placed fingertip to wrist, with one facing up and the other down. Then with his right foot facing forward and his left placed behind it horizontally, he bowed.

'Thank you; I am Fabian from the House of Hunter' replied the young man copying the bowing gesture that Nikolai had done only moments before, though instead of the full bow he merely inclined his head.

'My Lord thank you for coming, if you'll follow me' said Nikolai and he turned and walked further into the Temple.

Respecting the importance and power of the Temple and its inhabitants, Fabian walked quietly behind the old Seer, even though he was extremely curious about why he had been summoned.

After minutes of walking, sometimes through solid walls, Fabian and his guide reached the heart of the Temple where the Seer Stone was suspended from the ceiling in the centre of the room. The Seer Stone was a massive, flawless Lapis Lazuli as tall as a six foot man, though it weighed so much more, which was thickest at the top and then tapered down into a point. There were holes placed at odd intervals in the ceiling so that the sun and moon could shine into the room, where they'd hit the pale stone and send prisms of light shooting through the room.

The room was already occupied with twelve Seers, including the True Seer, which was an indicator that this was an important gathering.

'My Lord, thank you for coming' said the True Seer walking over and doing the bow that was unique to this planet.

'Of course, so why was I summoned?' replied Fabian also bowing, though again he didn't do the full bow, he merely inclined his head.

'Actually, for about a week now we've been debating whether or not too summon you?' said the True Seer leading Fabian towards the group of Seers, which Nikolai had already joined raising the number of Seers to thirteen, the number of power.

'You've been debating since the Solar Eclipse?' questioned Fabian.

'Yes, as you know at the times when the sun or moon are eclipsed and we thirteen gather here then and only then, are we allowed to see along the dark and destructive paths Fate can take' explained the True Seer.

'What did you see that caused such a disagreement that you would need to debate about it?' asked Fabian knowing full well that the Seers always followed the best course along Fate's path no matter what the consequences.

'The problem is that what we saw affects you my Lord and while some of us thought it best to explain to you what we saw and let you make your own decision, others thought it best if we kept it from you. So my Lord what is your decision? Do you wish to know what we saw or do you wish to leave?' said the True Seer.

'Tell me' ordered Fabian.

'As you wish, through the Seer Stone, Fate's darkest path has shown us souls, millions of them, all born at different times on separate planets. Each soul has another which Fate has decided will be its destined partner; the problem is that the souls themselves do not know this. If too many of them fail to get together then the elements will start to unravel and all existence will disappear' explained the True Seer.

'How does all this affect me? Besides the obvious answer that is' said Fabian.

'Because Fate showed us two paths we could follow, one leads to the end of existence the other does not' chipped in Nikolai.

'What lies along the other path?' asked Fabian.

'Along the other path we have been shown a way to, with the help of the elements, save us all at the risk of civil war on our own planet' said one of the other Seers.

Fabian turned to the True Seer and raising one perfectly sculpted eyebrow said 'Explain to me exactly what's along the other path.

'Along the other path we were shown that you and you alone have the genes that the elements can change to turn you into something that will allow you to know when two souls destined to be together will not follow Fate's path. This power would also let you know where it is exactly that the two souls are, and then you'd be able to take them to a planet that the elements would create especially for you, for you'd be banished from this planet. So yes, our home would end up at war but only until a new Ruler was born, which we have seen will happen in a few million years if you should decide to follow the path of banishment' said the True Seer.

'So either I doom us all or I save us all? This is an easy decision to make!' stated Fabian.

'You must understand that if you agree to be changed you can never change back and you'll end up as nothing more than a story used to frighten children on the planets you visit, it would be your life forever and for always' warned the True Seer.

'It doesn't matter, now let's get this over and done with before I change my mind' suggested Fabian.

'As you wish my Lord, go stand under the Seer Stone and we'll begin, I must warn you now that this will not be pleasant' said the True Seer.

So Fabian walked under the Seer Stone, while the thirteen Seers positioned themselves around him and all present felt the elements gathering, for they knew they were needed as Fate once more played with the lives of those walking her paths.


	2. Chapter One: The Wrong Path

**Disclaimer: **See Prologue

**Author's Note: **So thanks to those people who have reviewed this story, here is the next chapter for your entertainment.

**Chapter One: The Wrong Path**

_Because of a stupid decision made months ago, two souls have headed in the wrong direction..._

It was a wild and stormy night in late November and the Marauder's were the only ones still up. They were planning a huge prank or trying to anyway, it's a bit hard to plan things when two of your members won't talk, let alone look at each other. Ever since the last full moon of the year before Sirius Black and Remus Lupin had been studiously ignoring each other, both to stubborn to try and mend their broken friendship.

'We have the prank, now who are we going to use it on?' said James Potter, Quidditch Captain and Head Boy, rubbing his hands together in wicked anticipation of their brilliant prank.

'Snivellus of course' said Sirius, the shag a'delic Gryffindor, in a tone that clearly said "who else?"

'Leave him alone!' said Remus, the quiet though dangerous werewolf, warningly.

'Why? Afraid we might hurt your boyfriend?' asked Sirius mockingly.

'Why you little, egotistical, pompous…' started Remus standing up and facing Sirius who also got to his feet.

'Here we go again' said Peter Pettigrew worriedly, the chubby hanger on, in his squeaky voice.

'Look, guy's, can't you settle your differences?' asked James in a placating tone.

'I'd be happy to settle our differences, if he was willing to admit that he was wrong!' said Remus jabbing a finger in Sirius' direction.

'Me? You're the one who…' began Sirius incredulously but he was interrupted by a melodious voice.

'Why am I not surprised?' the new, enchanting, voice sighed in resignation.

'What?' asked Sirius bewildered and the four Marauder's looked around and spotted an extremely feminine looking male standing in the middle of the room.

'What's going on down here?' demanded a female voice from the direction of the girl's staircase and you could tell who it was by the way that James messed up his hair.

'Well?' asked Lily Evans, goddess of all goddesses (in James' opinion anyway), coming down into the common room proper.

'It's okay Lils, go back to bed' said James calmly.

'You're not planning another prank are you?' asked Lily suspiciously.

'No, no, no of course not! We're just trying to fix a wrong' said James.

'Oh! Really?' asked Lily hopefully.

'Yep' replied James relaxing slightly.

'_Hello_? I think we have a more important matter to deal with and that is, who the fuck is he?' said Sirius nodding in the direction of the stranger.

'So sorry, I am Fabian Hunter, at your service' said the stranger and he gave a strange kind of bow.

'What are you doing here?' asked Sirius.

'Fate's plan has been shattered and two souls have headed down the wrong path' said Fabian mysteriously, walking closer to the Marauder's.

Up close the Marauder's noticed that Fabian was an extremely attractive man of about twenty-one years of age and he had the strangest coloured eyes. Even though the dark violet of the irises was odd it was the pupils that really caught their attention, instead of being black like everyone else's, Fabian's pupils were the exact same colour as a Lapis Lazuli stone.

'Wait! Hunter? Fate? I know this' said Lily chewing on her bottom lip in a preoccupied way.

'Do you know what they're talking about?' whispered Peter to James who just shook his head and put his finger to his lips in a shushing motion.

'Now I remember! The Hunter is someone who claims to see Fate's course and comes to take away those that it claims have headed down the wrong path' said Lily brightly.

'I remember too! My parents used to scare me with that story' said Peter eagerly showing that he knew what Lily was talking about.

'My parents also used to say that if I didn't obey then The Hunter would come and take me away' said Sirius with a snort of amusement.

'Don't tell me that's who you're pretending to be? Everyone knows those are just stories to frighten young kids' said James looking at Fabian.

'You may believe it to be nothing more than a story but I _am_ The Hunter and I have come to collect Remus Lupin and Sirius Black for those two souls have strayed from the path Fate has set for them' replied Fabian unfazed by the fact that the five in front of him didn't believe him.

'I'm not going anywhere with you and I am most definitely not going anywhere with _him_!' said Sirius stabbing a finger in Remus' direction.

'What I want to know is how he knew our names?' said Remus softly.

'That's easy, I always know the names of those who have strayed from Fate's course and I must say I really hate this planet. This planet has more people straying from Fate's path in one year than any other planet does in ten, not to mention that this planets people think that they are the only planet carrying life in the myriad universes out there, which is ridiculous. Also for your information the two of you don't get a choice, you're coming with me and that's that!' said Fabian matter-o-factly.

'You're not taking our friends any where' declared James pointing his wand at Fabian.

'Nice stick, don't worry I won't let your friends die and they _will_ be back, sooner or later' said Fabian airily.

'What the fuck?' said Sirius suddenly while at the same time Remus said 'What on earth?'

James, Peter and Lily all swung in Remus' and Sirius' direction only to see that they were being wrapped up in a Lapis Lazuli substance that had appeared out of a hole at their feet and the substance seemed to be pulling them into it.

'Padfoot! Moony!' shouted James rushing forward and trying to grab his friends but his hands went right through them as though they were already gone.

'Don't worry they will be back' said Fabian, his voice sounding like it was coming from a long way off as he too disappeared into a Lapis Lazuli hole.

Far, far away in a special and unique dimension, on a planet created specifically for those who wondered off Fate's chosen course, two people appeared on a cliff in a night time storm as bad as the one they'd just left.

'Welcome to my lovely home' said Fabian as he also appeared on the cliff and with his appearance a large see through dome appeared, blocking out the sounds of the storm and the driving rain.

'Why have you bought us here?' demanded Sirius pushing his soaked hair out of his eyes.

'Like I said before, you two have strayed from Fate's path and until you return to it you are stuck here' explained Fabian patiently.

'What are we meant to do while we are here?' asked Remus curiously.

'Whatever you wish and you should probably know that this planet changes to suit those that I bring here. So it might interest you to know that it seems that while the two of you are here there's going to be a full moon every night and the time has changed so that it's going at the exact same speed as the time on your planet' said Fabian helpfully.

'What?' asked Remus hoarsely, dreading the thought of changing every single night.

'Don't you think that's a bit cruel?' asked Sirius.

'Hmm, it does seem a bit nasty, perhaps I can manipulate the planet somehow, I'll come check on you guys every now and then but other than that you're on your own. I'll leave the dome for tonight and tonight only, so see you later' said Fabian disappearing into the storm.

After giving each other a glare Sirius and Remus moved to opposite sides of the dome and eventually they fell asleep in the strangely warm and comforting space it provided.


	3. Chapter Two: The First Day

**Disclaimer: **See Prologue, I do not own the song in this chapter either, it belongs to Leanne Rimes and is called 'Can't fight the Moonlight'.

**Author's Note: **Hey all, hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, which reminds me, Merry belated Christmas to you all. Please read and review and a big thanks to Trooperx for being the best reviewer ever! You rock. Ciao.

**Chapter Two: The First Day**

_Sirius Black learns the hard way that being in the bad books of Remus Lupin isn't very fun..._

Just before dawn the storm blew itself out leaving the air feeling fresh and crisp, as it usually gets after such weather. As the sun slowly made its way up over the horizon, its rays reached across the land until they hit a cliff face where they seemed to stop for a second. Then with the same slow pace the light continued on its course by spreading up the cliff and heading for the two unsuspecting figures slumbering at the top. Morning was well and truly on its way when the light burst over the edge of the cliff, causing the two sleepers to stir as the harsh light hit their closed eyes.

Remus and Sirius began to wake up as the light strengthened, each groggily wiping the sleep from their eyes as they both thought on what a strange dream they'd had, until they noticed their surrounding's that is. Instantly wide awake Remus and Sirius got to their feet and with barely a glance in each other's direction they begun to examine their surroundings.

The cliff they were on was totally without vegetation, water or any signs of life, except their own of course, and was completely desolate looking. It was just a large expanse of rock jutting up into the sky with a vast forest at its base and just visible on one horizon what looked like the start of a desert. Turning around and squinting in another direction you could just see the beginnings of a wide open grassland area and in another direction there appeared to be an ocean.

^This place is so bizarre^ thought Remus staring blankly at the forest, then he saw the flash of what suspiciously looked like sunlight reflecting off of water.

'This is all your fault, you know' came Sirius' voice, breaking into Remus' thoughts.

'How do you figure that?' asked Remus mildly, still staring at the spot where he thought he saw the sun hitting water.

'If you'd just apologise for yelling at me without a reason none of this would have happened' explained Sirius moving to the edge of the cliff.

'Me apologise? You're the one who nearly turned me into a killer!' said Remus incredulously.

'Geez! It was a _joke_, for crying out loud! Get over it!' said Sirius sitting down on the cliff's edge.

'What are you doing?' asked Remus curiously, deciding it would be best to change the subject because unless he decided it himself there was no-way to convince Sirius he was wrong.

'What does it look like? I'm getting down from here, unless you haven't noticed there's no food or water, so we can't stay here forever' replied Sirius.

Remus in turn moved to the edge of the cliff, though he was about five meters away from where Sirius was sitting, and he looked down at the forest for a second before glancing back up when he heard Sirius shift into a position to start the long climb down.

'I wouldn't do that if I was you' suggested Remus mildly.

'Well thankfully you're not, so mind your own damn business!' said Sirius.

'As you wish' replied Remus, watching passively as Sirius disappeared down the cliff.

Remus stayed where he was for a few minutes, listening to Sirius' swearing as he moved down the cliff, then with a shrug he started down the stairs he'd found cut into the side of the cliff. Even though they were incredibly steep and a little worn the stairs were still a lot safer to use then to try and climb down the cliff itself.

It took Remus a little over an hour to descend the stairs and by the time he'd reached the bottom he was totally exhausted and extremely thirsty but as much as he wanted a drink he decided it would probably be best to catch his breath before attempting to find the stream. So Remus allowed his legs to collapse and he leant against the cliff taking deep breaths to settle his pounding heart. Then upon hearing a rock rattle down the cliff and a muffled yell of "fuck" from above, Remus looked up and noticed that Sirius was already around three quarters of the way down. Glad that he'd found the stairs, for he knew he'd never have been able to climb down, Remus watched as Sirius descended the last quarter to the ground, where he immediately flopped down onto his back and tried to catch his breath.

Once his legs no longer felt like jelly and he'd recovered his breath, Sirius got to his feet and looking around he noticed a perfectly composed Remus leaning against the cliff a few meters away.

'How the fuck did you get down before me?' asked Sirius suspiciously, for he had no doubt that Remus would be unable to climb down the cliff so fast.

'I took the stairs' replied Remus nodding in the direction of the barely visible stairway.

'Why didn't you tell me there were stairs?' demanded Sirius angrily.

'Because you told me to mind my own business' replied Remus calmly, getting to his feet and slowly heading in the direction of the stream he had seen.

'Hey! Come back here, I haven't finished with you yet!' said Sirius, angrily following Remus.

'As much fun as fighting with you over trivial matters is I think I'd much prefer to get a drink' said Remus without looking around.

'You know where there's water?' asked Sirius his anger dissipating at the thought of getting a drink.

'Yes' replied Remus simply as he entered the forest proper, which oddly enough seemed to be a mixture of pine and oak trees.

'Right, well, I'm coming with you!' stated Sirius as though that had been his intentions all along.

'Whatever takes your fancy' said Remus striding purposefully in the direction he thought, hoped, he'd seen the stream.

After two hours with no sign of a stream, Remus was getting absolutely, positively fed up with Sirius' incessant _singing_; it wasn't so much how bad he was singing as it was _what_ he was singing.

'_Underneath the starlight, starlight,_

_We'll be lost in a rhythm so right._

_Feel it steal your heart tonight._

_You can try to resist, try to hide from my kiss,_

_But you know, but you know that you_

_Can't fight the moonlight._

_Deep in the dark, you'll surrender your heart._

_Don't you know, don't you know that you_

_Can't fight the moonlight,_

_No, you can't fight it._

_It's gonna get to your heart'._

Deciding that he'd had enough Remus spun around and was just in time to see Sirius shaking his arse at him.

'Why are you doing that?' asked Remus wearily.

Hearing Remus' question, Sirius stopped what he was doing, turned around and answered in a petulant voice 'I'm bored'.

'So you decided that singing a muggle song while doing the chicken dance would alleviate that boredom?' asked Remus sceptically.

'It's better than looking at your arse for two hours' replied Sirius promptly.

'Why would you be looking at my arse?' asked Remus curiously.

'Because you're in front of me' said Sirius in a tone that clearly said "duh".

'So why not look at my head, shoulders or even the scenery?' questioned Remus mildly.

'Well… I… You… Uh' spluttered Sirius, then he decided it would be best to change the subject so he continued with 'Any how I was thinking…'

'That's got to be a new experience' interrupted Remus turning around and continuing on his way.

'What are you talking about? I always think' said Sirius jogging to catch up, and then he stopped suddenly as Remus spun back around with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

'So let me get this straight, you _thought_ it would be okay to turn me into a killer, did you?' asked Remus in a deceptively calm voice.

'Not as such, no' replied Sirius, quickly backing off.

Remus continued to stare at Sirius for a second through narrowed eyes before turning around and continuing to head in the direction of the water he had seen.

Sirius was unnaturally quiet for the next hour and he was so lost in thought he quite literally walked into Remus, who he had failed to notice had stopped moving. Upon realizing that he had walked into Remus, Sirius took a few hasty steps back and just shook his head at the look of inquiry Remus gave him.

'Why'd you stop?' asked Sirius curiously.

'Because the stream is on the other side of that!' replied Remus nodding at some thick shrubbery that was wrapped around the trees.

'Cool! Water' said Sirius enthusiastically, staring at the shrubs that were covered in greenish flowers and white berries.

Remus continued looking at the shrubs for a minute before walking off to the left.

'Where are you going?' asked Sirius watching as Remus walked away.

'To find a way around the shrubbery' replied Remus mildly.

'That's ridiculous! I'm going to go right through them, it'd be a whole lot quicker' said Sirius resolutely.

'Do whatever you think best' replied Remus as he disappeared around a corner.

'Fine, I will!' said Sirius to himself and he promptly forced his way through the shrubs.

When Remus reached the bubbling brook twenty minutes later it was to find that Sirius had indeed pushed through the shrubs and was currently scratching furiously at the red rash that had appeared all over his body. For last night when they had been taken off their planet, Sirius had been in his pyjamas, which meant he was without a top. Totally ignoring the foul look Sirius was giving him; Remus went straight to the stream and got a long refreshing drink.

'What happened to you?' asked Fabian coming out of no-where and causing both Sirius and Remus to jump.

'He climbed through poison ivy' explained Remus when Sirius continued to scratch while staring sullenly at everyone.

'Why'd he do that?' asked Fabian curiously.

'No idea' replied Remus mildly.

'You could have told me what it was!' said Sirius angrily, glaring at Remus.

'You could have asked why I wasn't going to climb through it' said Remus in a calm tone, not looking at Sirius, who was currently scratching his balls.

'Here' said Fabian holding a crystal goblet, filled with an unknown blue substance, out to Sirius.

'What's this?' asked Sirius suspiciously, taking the goblet and eyeing it wearily.

'It'll get rid of the rash and I also bought you both a change of clothes that are more appropriate for this place, you can get changed whenever you want and you can leave what you're wearing now wherever, the planet will get rid of them' explained Fabian with a friendly smile and he put the clothes he had bought with him on the ground.

Sirius looked between Fabian, the goblet and the clothes before shrugging and downing the goblets contents in one go, the effects of the blue liquid was instantaneous, for straight away the itching stopped and the rash faded away.

'I thought you weren't allowed to help us' said Remus softly.

'I can do this and give you a few warnings' replied Fabian with a shrug.

'What kind of warnings?' asked Sirius, glad for help of any kind.

'First, while this planet has many things from your world on it, it also has things you will not recognize, for this land is designed to help you realize what you need so you can leave. Second, there are other creatures here and some of them are quite deadly and last of all the more you two fight the more dangerous this planets eco system gets, don't ask me why I have no idea. Now the main reason I came to see you is because I meddled with the planets spells to try and change the full moon problem. I'm afraid there will still be a full moon every night but it will no longer affect you, it's this planets original moon you have to look out for, which shouldn't be too hard considering its blue. The bad thing is that because I meddled the blue moon could show up at any time. Its shadow could show up during the day which would force you to change, not to mention it could appear two nights in a row or not at all for six months, depending how long your stuck here that is, so be careful' explained Fabian in one breath, directing the last bit at Remus.

'Don't you need to breathe? No, wait, ignore that! So all we need to do to get off this planet is to mend our broken friendship, right?' questioned Sirius.

'I didn't think I had explained it properly, no it's not just your friendship that needs to be fixed, and you're both stuck here until you both discover what it is your heart's truly desire. Now Remus, I'm really sorry but to change the planets design I had to change your genetic code and I'm afraid we won't know the effects of that until after your first transformation' said Fabian.

'It's okay, you've done the best you can' replied Remus softly and with a sad smile.

'Now if you'll excuse me, it's time I left' said Fabian walking away.

'Hey! Wait a second! What do you mean by what our hearts truly desire?' demanded Sirius following Fabian.

Fabian didn't answer, he just kept on walking and when he reached the tree line he simply vanished, leaving a bewildered Sirius and Remus deep in thought on how they were to survive until they figured out Fabian's cryptic clues, until then they were stuck on this unknown planet where nothing was for certain but everything was dangerously real.


	4. Chapter Three: Sweet Revenge

**Disclaimer: **See Prologue

**Author's Note: **Hey all, I really planned on updating this story every Monday but man am I lazy. Plus I'm talking with someone about a traineeship and as I said I'm really lazy. Thanks to all of you who have reviewed, are going to review or even think about reviewing. You're all awesome, even if you're just flaming me. Hey instead of flaming could you, like, send an explosion? I like explosions, they're pretty. Especially if they're like the super volcano in 2012, awesome movie. Okay, enough rambling, ciao!

**Chapter Three: Sweet Revenge**

_It is said that revenge is a dish best served cold..._

A week had passed since the incident with the cliff and poison-ivy, a week in which Remus and Sirius hardly spoke to each other and if they had too it was always a little _too_ friendly, a little _too_ polite. During the week instead of being practical and trying to learn how to survive in a hostile world like Remus was doing, Sirius was formulating a plan to get back at Remus for his depraved indifference of a week earlier.

Sirius had thought up plenty of plans for his revenge but he had rejected them all as completely, pathetically stupid ideas unlikely to work on a two year old, let alone Remus. Some of his plans weren't that bad but they too had been rejected on the basis that they wouldn't work, take his plan to make Remus sick for instance. He had thought that perhaps he could give Remus some food that would make him violently ill without actually hurting him but he had rejected that plan for two reasons. One was the fact that he didn't know any of the plants in the forest and what they would do if digested and the other was that Remus would be highly suspicious if he started giving him food, so that plan was sent to the recycling bin of his mind.

On this particular day the weather was perfect, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, the sun wasn't too hot and there was a pleasant little breeze blowing through the forest. Sirius Black, the most desirable guy ever to grace Hogwarts with his presence, was sitting by the stream sulking. Remus had once again gone on a foraging expedition and while the food he bought back looked, tasted or smelled bizarre it was most definitely edible. What really annoyed Sirius was that he knew that if Remus wasn't around then he'd more than likely starve to death or would eat something poisonous.

Even though Remus bought back food for him to eat Sirius was still going to get him back for the whole cliff/poison-ivy escapade. Remus had to be reminded that you cannot treat Sirius Black that way and get away with it. So Sirius was sitting by the stream and contemplating which of his myriad plans would be most successful, for even though he was a brilliant prankster none of his pranks seemed likely to work against the werewolf. On this day Sirius' thoughts were very meandering and they went something like this as his thoughts of revenge turned into a brilliant, in his mind anyway, idea.

*_Could I trick Remus into eating something bad?_*

*No, that wouldn't work, he knows more about the food in this place then I do*.

*_Okay then smarty-pants, you come up with something_*.

*But you're the King of pranks, you come up with something, I'm just here to give advice on what might or might not work*.

*_Fine, I will! But you have to make sure that you give me honest opinions on all my ideas_*.

*Don't worry I will, now fire away*.

Sirius' mind often worked like this, with his darker mischievous side working off his lighter common-sense side and vice-versa. Sometimes though, and this was rare, his two sides would come up with an idea without input from the other side and when this happened it usually had dire repercussions. That is exactly what had happened when he told Snivellus how to get past the Whomping Willow and thus all this trouble between him and Remus had started.

*_Is it possible to get Remus to climb through poison-ivy?_*

*No, because unlike you Remus knows what the damn plant looks like*.

*_Well would it be possible for me to cover him in some while he's sleeping?_*

*That might be possible… if he wasn't such a light sleeper*.

*_Could I trick him into doing something foolish?_*

*Like what? I hate to admit it but when it comes to muggle things Remus is a lot cleverer then me*.

*_Dammit! How am I going to get back at Remus for his indifference of what happened to me?_* thought Sirius irritated, and then he caught sight of his reflection in the stream.

*_Would you look at the state of my hair! First it needs a good wash then a brush, not to mention the rest of me and what I must smell like. I've never felt so dirty in my life, I bet that if I wasn't so filthy looking then Remus wouldn't still be angry with me… Wait, that's it!_*

*What's it?*

*_I know how to get back at Remus! I am a genius_*.

*Well mister genius are you going to share your master plan with me or not?*

*_Of course I'll share, all I need to do to get back at Remus for treating me unfairly is to make him fall helplessly in love with me and then dump him, breaking his heart!_*

*Are you sure that will work? I mean how do you know if Remus is gay or not?*

*_That's easy, have you ever seen Remus look at a girl with interest or accept a date from one?_*

*No*.

*_Well there you go!_*

*Yes but who said that the reason for that isn't because Remus just isn't interested in anything but academics at the moment? What if he isn't gay and all you do is succeed in making more of a fool of yourself then you already have?*

*_Hmm, you could be right about that! I suppose there's only one way to find out for sure which way he swings_*.

*How's that?*

*_By seeing how he reacts in wolf form to a few friendly overtures from yours truly_*.

*That's actually a brilliant idea but you do know that that means that you will have to be near him when he transforms so that you don't lose him? Not to mention the fact that the blue moon that will trigger his transformation could happen at any time*.

*_Those two problems are easy to solve_* and with that thought Sirius turned into the great black dog and set about finding Remus by tracking his scent.

Because he is egotistical and only worried about his own pleasure Sirius completely failed to feel the change in the land as he set out after Remus to test his theory and give some justly, in his opinion anyway, deserved pay-back.

A few miles away Remus stopped his search for food and looked around uneasily as he felt a strange ominous rumble pass through the air and land. Remus had no idea what the rumble was or what had caused it, what he did know was that it left him with a deep irrational fear in his very soul.

Watching the two from within his house, Fabian gave his head a shake and a strong feeling of pity swept through his body. Because of the dog-boy's plan, his two new guests were going to suffer incredible hardships that would push them both to their very limit and there was nothing he could do to help them. He could only hope that the two figured out what it was each of their heart's truly desired before it went too far and all hope of the happy and peaceful future, fate had laid down for them faded into nothing.


	5. Chapter Four: Once In A Blue Moon

**Disclaimer: **See Prologue

**Author's Note: **Okay, so I thought yesterday was Sunday and today was Tuesday which is why this chapter is coming out a day later then I wanted it to. Man I hate the holidays as they make me lose track of things, other than that though they are wonderful. I'm a little contradictory, aren't I? Thanks to all the reviewers in the world who have ever reviewed a story or are going to, its people like you that keep us writers writing. Thanks and ciao!

**Warnings:** Once again I forgot to put warnings in so they are, strong language(swearing), some violent behaviour(mainly in this chapter), sex scenes(mainly chapter nine), puppy love and of course slash(boy+boy pairing) if u don't like it then don't read. You have been warned

Puppy talk is in italics , read, review and enjoy or not (not necessarily in that order).

**Chapter Four: Once In A Blue Moon**

_The blue moon rises and bathes the land below with its ghostly light..._

Sirius was humming to himself, quite a feat for a dog, as he followed Remus' strangely exhilarating scent. As he tracked Remus, Sirius was totally oblivious of his surroundings so he completely failed to notice that one; the sun was setting and two; he himself was being stalked. The first sign that Sirius received that pointed out quite clearly that he was in danger was a low menacing growl from his left. Sirius immediately halted all movements and stood with his nose in the air as he tried to catch a scent but unfortunately for him the wind was blowing in the wrong direction. As Sirius stood with his head turned to the left trying to pick up a scent another gut-wrenching growl sounded through the silent forest. This time, however, the growl came from his right and it was a lot closer and more threatening than the first growl.

Turning his head with exaggerated slowness, Sirius looked to his right and beheld a large wolf standing less than three meters away. As Sirius wearily watched the wolf, his acute hearing picked up the slight sound of movement from behind and to the left of him. Keeping one ear turned to the large wolf Sirius turned his head to look behind and to the left of him and beheld ten smaller wolves moving out of the concealing foliage. It was now that Sirius felt the first stirrings of fear within his chest, for all the wolves had a lean look to them that suggested that they were looking for an easy meal. As the growling started again Sirius realized that the wolves had decided that _he_ would make an easy meal. Sirius hated to admit it, even to himself, but they were probably right. There were eleven of them and only one of him and they were too close for him to risk changing his shape so that he could climb up out of their reach.

Thus Sirius was left with only one option, with a howl that he hoped Remus would hear Sirius fled through the tiny gap the wolves had left in front and ran for his life. Racing through the thick forest wasn't easy; Sirius had never travelled this way before and didn't know where all the vines, holes and things that would slow him down were. The wolves on the other hand did and even though Sirius was healthier and stronger than them he was losing ground. As he raced for his life through the thick foliage Sirius slowly became aware of the darkening sky and with a sinking heart he realized that night was coming. Sirius knew that his chances of surviving were diminishing for now most of the obstacles that were slowing him down became all but invisible in the dark and his pace slowed even further.

Then, as Sirius felt all hope disappearing, a strange and ghostly light fell across the land. At once the wolves stopped chasing Sirius and begun howling and running around in circles. Soon they would resume the chase but for now as the strange light first fell on the land their fear drove all other thoughts from their heads. Taking this chance for a much needed rest Sirius looked around in amazement at the glowing forest which had been turned a pale blue by the ghostly light. Suddenly, with a feeling of foreboding, realization dawned and Sirius turned his eyes to the sky where in a gap through the trees he saw a blue moon casting its light over the land. The wolves suddenly stopped their frightened reaction to the rising of the blue moon and charged after Sirius who gave a howl of despair and once more started to run for his life.

Remus was busy collecting food when he heard Sirius' first howl and recognizing it as a call for help he stopped what he was doing and ran back the way he had come from. Sirius may be a pompous prat but Remus could not leave him to face anything really dangerous on his own. It wasn't long before Remus had to stop and catch his breath, being a werewolf had seriously destroyed his athletic abilities. It was dark by the time Remus had regained enough breath to resume running but before he could a strange, ghostly light covered the land. Unlike Sirius, Remus realized right away what the light must mean and looking up he beheld a full blue moon. As the blue light shone down on Remus the changes deep inside him that Fabian had made activated.

Remus started to change; bones popped and cracked as they lengthened, shortened or changed their shape entirely. Remus had fallen to the ground his whole body twisting and writhing in pain. His teeth were clamped to stop the screams that would alert anything dangerous to his presence but he could not stop the moans and whimpers that snuck out. Remus' entire body was covered in sweat as his new DNA coding took effect and changed how he was transforming.

The transformation suddenly came to an end and Moony was left feeling weak and disorientated. It may have been Remus who begun the transformation but it was Moony who shook off the last vestiges of pain and was shocked to realize that his senses had changed. All of Moony's senses had grown enormously, so that he could now see every little detail of the forest as though it was day and that wasn't all. His hearing had increased so that he could hear an owl flying a mile away, his sense of smell had increased so that now when he smelt things he could almost see them. His sense of taste was so strong that he could taste things that shouldn't have a taste; such as the gentle breeze blowing through the forest. His sense of touch had also increased so much so that he could now feel the vibrations of animals moving on and under the ground for up to a half mile.

It was while he was marvelling at these new experiences that a thought almost like a memory entered Moony's head. The almost memory was of a cry for help from a pack mate, almost as soon as this thought arrived another howl tore through the night. A howl filled with despair, a howl that Moony recognized at once; Padfoot was in danger. Without a second thought Moony leapt in the direction from whence Padfoot's howl had come and raced silently to the defence. Moony was a little unsure on exactly where Padfoot was but he was sure that if he continued in the direction from whence the howl had come then he was sure to find him. After he had run a half mile or so Moony stopped running and stood still listening and sniffing the air trying to catch a sound or scent of his lost pack mate.

Moony had just caught Padfoot's intoxicating scent when he heard a sound that froze his blood and caused his heart to stop beating for a minute; not far in front of him there came a yelp of pain. Moony sped in the direction of the yelp and in less than a minute he came to the edge of a clearing where he took in the scene with one sweeping look. Padfoot was surrounded by a circle of eleven wolves and there was the sharp tang of blood in the air; Padfoot's blood. With a howl of rage Moony headed straight for the wolf that had the scent of Padfoot's blood on its breath.

To the twelve in the clearing Moony came out of no-where and moved with such speed that three of the wolves were dead, their throats ripped out, before anyone knew what was happening. The surviving wolves shocked by the sudden and brutal attack turned tail and fled. Padfoot was also shocked by the sudden appearance of what looked like a creamy-gold blur but he was injured and too exhausted to run any longer. The blur stopped its swift movements and turned to face Padfoot who realized at once that it was a massive wolf.

This wolf was different to the ones that had chased him, it was powerfully built with a creamy-gold coat and honey coloured eyes. The magnificent wolf gently padded towards him; its feathery tail was wagging back and forth in a gesture of greeting and friendship. Padfoot, a little uncertain for he did not know this strange wolf, lowered his head and gave a small whine of greeting.

Moony stopped moving and glanced at Padfoot's submissive posture uncertainly, unsure what was wrong for usually the two of them would greet each other with boisterous activity. Padfoot's whole posture, from his tail tucked between his legs to his half crouched stance was declaring quite loudly that he was not a threat. Padfoot was shocked that the strange wolf seemed so uncertain of his gesture of submission and was even more shocked when the strange wolf spoke.

"_Padfoot?_" said Moony uncertainly.

"_Moony?_" said Padfoot incredulously his posture changing as he took in the changes Fabian's meddling had caused in his friend.

"_Where are you hurt?_" asked Moony his tail wagging joyfully for Padfoot's posture was no longer submissive.

"_One of them got me up near my right hip_" replied Padfoot.

Without a sound Moony moved closer to Padfoot's right hip and caused Padfoot to wince slightly when he cautiously licked the open wound. Moony sensed Padfoot's wince but he continued to lick the wound knowing that it had to be cleaned or his pack mate could end up with an unusable leg. So Moony set about licking the entire wound clean and a low growl rumbled in his throat when he realized that the wolf that had bitten Padfoot had torn deep into the muscle.

Padfoot looked around sharply when he heard Moony's growl but he and Moony were the only ones in the glade without a sign of any one else. Padfoot looked at Moony and gave a low whine of inquiry. Moony immediately stopped what he was doing and returned Padfoot's stare, thus letting Padfoot know that he had Moony's undivided attention.

"_What was with the growl?_" asked Padfoot and if he could of quirked an eyebrow he would have.

"_The wolf that bit you tore deep into the muscle, which means you won't be able to use it for many moons and that means that you will be vulnerable to further attacks_" replied Moony passively.

"_Bummer but you'll protect me, won't you?_" asked Padfoot using his three good legs to move closer to Moony and looking at him with his puppy-dog eyes.

Moony just stood there silently looking at Padfoot for such a long time that he started to think that maybe he was wrong and Remus really wasn't gay. But then something happened that strengthened Padfoot's belief once again. Moony answered his question and Moony's voice had such a warm, protective quality to it that it made Padfoot feel safer then he'd ever felt in his life.

Moony had been silent for so long because he himself had no idea how he really felt about his pack mate but then the answer came to him and it was so simple. He would give his life for Padfoot; so he answered Padfoot with a single word filled with finality "_Always_".


	6. Chapter Five: Hallucinogens

**Disclaimer: **See Prologue

**Author's Note: **Hey all, I feel bad about updating later then I had planned so I have decided to post up another chapter for you all in the hopes that you will forgive me for my laziness. Just so you all know this is the longest chapter in the whole story and I can't believe how much it didn't want to end but I forced it to my will and WON! Mwahahahahahaha mwahahahaha *runs out the door laughing like a maniac*

*"Hmm? I wonder if she took her pills this morning?" wonders the other me*

**Chapter Five: Hallucinogens**

_Remus and Sirius learn that they can't trust all the food in Fabian's home, even if it seems to be identical to food found back home..._

The two canines stayed the night near the clearing for Padfoot was too injured to travel. All through the night Moony stayed by Padfoot's side to keep him safe, except for about half an hour when he had left to find some food. Padfoot was slightly jittery while Moony was gone and was extremely relieved when he came back dragging what suspiciously looked like a deer sized rabbit. After hungrily devouring most of the rabbit the two canines moved to the other side of the clearing and entered some close growing bushes to sleep.

Padfoot was the first to lie down and he got as comfortable as he could with his injured leg facing away from the ground. Padfoot knew that he was in for a rough night, for already his leg was aching and he was worried that the wolf pack would return seeking its revenge. After checking that there wasn't anything dangerous close by; Moony snuggled up close to Padfoot's back and laid his head across the other's shoulders.

At first Padfoot was shocked at Moony's closeness but then a warm content feeling engulfed him and he knew that Moony would keep him safe. So with a happy little sigh Padfoot fell into a deep and peaceful sleep knowing that he was well protected. Moony, on the other hand, was awake for most of the night keeping an ear out for the approach of anything dangerous and watching Padfoot as he slept. Not long before dawn Moony fell into a light sleep for he was unable to stay awake any longer. The two animals slept the remainder of the night curled up tight to each other and that is how they stayed until the sun rose. The only problem with the coming of the sun was that the blue moon vanished. So with a weird and barely audible harrumph the werewolf turned back into a young man, a very _naked_ young man.

When Padfoot woke he knew that something was different and when he glanced over his shoulder to where Moony was sleeping he saw Remus instead. With a start Padfoot jerked to his feet and turned to face Remus who mumbled something incoherent but continued to sleep the sleep of the dead. Padfoot just stood there for awhile watching Remus as he slept and as he watched he noticed the changes that this place had caused. Remus' hair had changed to the creamy-gold colour of his wolf pelt and his slim body had acquired a more muscular look to it. His build hadn't changed so drastically that he looked buff but nor did he look like he needed a few decent meals. He still had pale skin but it no longer made him look sickly and his many scars just seemed to accentuate his features.

Feeling that in some strange way he was somehow spying, Padfoot tore his gaze from Remus and as he looked around he noticed two sets of clothes folded neatly nearby. With a relieved little sigh and a slight wag of the tail Padfoot changed back into Sirius and got dressed. Once dressed however Sirius found that his eyes were strangely drawn to Remus' sleeping form. So he once more studied Remus' new look but this time he did it with the sight of a human. Then as he was watching Remus' chest rise and fall in an almost hypnotic way, Remus gave a strange little sigh and his eyes flickered open.

When Remus opened his eyes, now honey coloured, it was to find that Sirius was staring at him with such a strange and intent expression. Then something that had never happened before happened, he remembered all that had occurred the night before, including Padfoot's strange question which for some reason brought a faint flush to his cheeks.

'Morning' said Remus hoping to stop Sirius' staring.

'Morning' replied Sirius a faint smile touching his lips as he noticed that Remus was a little flushed.

'How long have you been awake?' asked Remus his flush deepening as Sirius continued to stare with that strange little smile.

'Not long' said Sirius, then almost as an afterthought, he added 'Don't you think you should put some clothes on?'

'Pardon?' said Remus perplexed and then realization dawned and with a muffled exclamation he looked around wildly.

Noticing the clothes folded not far from him, Remus rushed to them and got dressed in record time. Once he was dressed Remus stayed where he was blushing furiously and unsure as to why he was blushing. After all he and Sirius used to get changed in front of each other all the time and it had never embarrassed him before. Though, admittedly, they had always had some form of underwear on.

Suddenly remembering something Remus looked at Sirius curiously and asked 'Why were you watching me?'

At Remus' question Sirius felt uncomfortably warm and a faint flush entered his cheeks. But because he did not want to answer such a complex question with an answer he did not know he decided to change the subject.

So with a non-committal shrug Sirius said instead 'Hey, do you think there is anything remotely edible around here?'

'You mean besides the remains of the giant rabbit in that clearing back there?' replied Remus jerking his thumb over his shoulder and giving Sirius a strange look.

'Ha, ha very funny' said Sirius sarcastically.

'Well then you should say what you mean and mean what you say' said Remus reasonably.

'Forget it! I'll look for food myself' said Sirius taking a limping step and wincing at the pain his wound caused him.

'Sirius wait, you're hurt! Let me look at the wound and clean it out first' said Remus taking a couple of steps in Sirius' direction.

'Don't worry about it and anyway you cleaned it out last night, remember?' replied Sirius with a very pointed look.

Remus felt his blush return under Sirius' direct gaze and in an effort to change the subject he said 'Um, right? But at least stay here while I look for food. You shouldn't use that leg more than necessary until it's healed'.

'There's no way I'm staying here by myself, what if something dangerous shows up? If I lean against you I won't have to use the leg so much and well… I'm sorry'.

'Sorry? What are you saying sorry for?' asked Remus startled for Sirius never apologized for anything.

'For nearly turning you into a murderer and being such a jerk about it. You have every right to be angry with me and this whole problem is my fault, after all if I learnt to think before I acted we wouldn't be in this mess'.

'Oh' said a shocked Remus softly.

'So what do you say about us working together to discover what it is our heart's truly desire and getting out of this strange place?'

'Yeah, sure'.

'Are you okay?' asked Sirius apparently concerned with Remus' vagueness.

'Yeah, fine' replied Remus in a dazed tone then he seemed to shake whatever was bothering him off and a new strange resolve entered his features.

'Don't worry about it, I'm sure I was overreacting a bit anyway, now how about we find some food?' said Remus calmly.

'I think that's the best plan I've heard in a while' replied Sirius with a dazzling smile.

With an almost shy smile in return Remus walked up to Sirius and put his left arm around Sirius' waist and Sirius in return put his right arm around Remus' shoulders. Then, both feeling strangely awkward in this position, they set off in search of food. The two walked in silence for an hour, each lost in thoughts about how strange and awkward they suddenly seemed to feel in the others company. Both were unsure as to why they felt so odd and both were unwilling to admit what it could possibly mean. So they were both silent and weren't really paying attention to where they were, where they were going and what kind of foods were in the vicinity.

So the two of them had nearly walked into the fruit tree before either one of them realized it was there. With a jolt the two stopped dead and then just stood there for awhile looking up at the tree in shock. The tree was the most alive looking thing they had ever seen. Its bark was a rich deep brown, its leaves were a vibrant emerald green and its fruit was a luscious ruby red. Then realization swept in and they both realized that they were staring at an apple tree. There was something strange about the tree though and it took them a little while to discover what it was that made it so odd.

First, the tree was all by itself in the centre of a clearing, there weren't any other plants besides the grass close by. Second, the tree itself looked untouched by beast or insect, there were no markings on the bark, leaves or fruit like what you'd expect to see on such a tree. Thirdly, the tree did not look like any other apple tree for all its branches were well above the ground and there weren't any apples or twigs lying around under the trees vast and shady reach. Lastly, it has to be admitted, if it wasn't for the apples then the tree itself would look like some kind of oak.

'Isn't this an interesting tree?' said Remus breaking the silence.

'That it is' agreed Sirius.

'What say you about us stopping here for a rest?'

'Sounds good' said Sirius and then almost as an afterthought added 'Do you think the fruits edible?'

'I don't know they do look like apples on the outside but who's to say there not some garish looking thing on the inside' said Remus, gently helping Sirius down to lean against the trunk.

'Garish how?' asked Sirius curiously looking up at Remus.

'Well maybe the inside is fluoro pink or hairy' replied Remus with a brief smile before he went back to studying the tree.

'That's a pleasant thought' said Sirius in disgust.

'Maybe I should pick a few?' said Remus almost to himself.

'Hey I ain't eating no fluoro pink hairy fruit!' warned Sirius.

'I wouldn't ask you to' replied Remus with another brief smile.

'I know you wouldn't' said Sirius returning Remus' smile with one of his heart-stoppers.

Startled, Remus flushed deeply and with some trouble went back to trying to figure out how to pick fruit from a tree whose branches were well above his head. He was totally unaware of the satisfied look that crossed Sirius' features for Sirius was congratulating himself for deciding to use that smile, usually reserved for the ladies, on his friend. Now that he knew what effect that smile had had Sirius was going to use it as often as he could, to his own advantage of course, to get back at Remus.

'I would still like to pick one even if only to somehow cut them open, after all you never know but these could be actual apples' said Remus regaining his composure slightly but keeping his eyes off of Sirius.

'That's not a bad idea but how do you plan on reaching one to pick it?' asked Sirius amused by Remus' discomfort.

'Now that I do not know'

'Perhaps I could hold you aloft while you picked some?'

'Not with that leg you won't but maybe I could make a step for you with my hands and by leaning on the trees trunk maybe you could pick a few?'

'It's worth a try'

'Though even this way you're going to have to strain that leg, for you will have to put your weight on it to place your other one in my hands. Perhaps it would be better if we didn't bother, we might damage that leg more than it already is' said Remus with a worried frown at Sirius.

'Don't worry about it, I'm sure it won't hurt much if I put weight on it a little bit and besides I'm not sure if I can go any further today so we're going to need some food' said Sirius with a reassuring grin.

'Okay, but as soon as you can't take any more let me know and I'll help you back down so you can rest' agreed Remus, more than a trifle reluctant.

'Agreed' promised Sirius with a pleased smile.

'Well come on, let's get this over and done with then' said Remus reaching down a hand and pulling Sirius to his feet.

'Right' said Sirius and he placed both hands against the trees trunk so that he could brace himself against it and not have to put his full weight on his injured leg.

So Remus cupped his hands together and stood close to Sirius' left side with his hands as low down as possible so that Sirius wouldn't have to have his weight on his injured leg for more then was necessary.

With one quick move Sirius shifted his weight and put his uninjured leg into Remus' hands. Sirius winced and had to bite his lip to stop a groan from escaping as tremendous pain lanced up and down his leg as he put weight on it. Once he was off the leg the pain receded to a dull ache and hopefully Remus hadn't noticed anything, otherwise he'd make a fuss later. When he gave it a second thought though, Sirius decided that perhaps it would be best if Remus noticed the pain. Then he could put on the charm as Remus fussed and Remus wouldn't be able to help but to fall in love with him and his bravery in the face of such pain. He really was a genius!

Remus on the other hand, _had_ noticed Sirius' reaction to putting weight on his injured leg but he kept quiet because he knew Sirius would hate it if he made a fuss. So with a determination not to make a fuss, now or later, Remus waited until Sirius' foot was comfortable in his hands and then slowly straightened until he was standing upright. It was only now, when he was standing straight, that Remus realized that his face was in line with Sirius' crotch. Remus jerked in shock and felt his face heat for no reason that he was willing to admit too.

Sirius felt his balance waver when he felt Remus jerk for no reason that he could think of. But then Remus steadied the both of them and when he felt secure once more Sirius looked down and asked 'Hey are you alright?'

'Yeah, fine' replied Remus looking up and giving him a weak smile.

Sirius was shocked to see that Remus' usually pale cheeks were a fierce red and he was wondering why when he realized Remus' face was in direct line with and awfully close to his crotch.

'Why are you blushing?' asked Sirius with a wicked smile.

'No reason in particular, I'm just feeling a little... warm' replied Remus in a slightly strangled tone.

'Does the reason you're flushed and a little warm have anything to do with the fact that your face is in line with and awfully close to my crotch? If so and you want to do something about it I won't mind' said Sirius with a suggestive leer.

'_What_?' yelped Remus, mortified at Sirius' suggestion.

'I just thought that maybe you could keep your head turned away while I'm picking the fruit' said Sirius innocently.

'Uh, right' said Remus turning his head so that only the right side was visible from Sirius' position.

'What did you think I meant?' asked Sirius innocently curious, as if he didn't know!

'Nothing, just hurry up and pick the fruit would you? You're not that light' said Remus his blush deepening.

'Whatever you say Moony, whatever you say' said Sirius with a winsome smile.

So the two of them returned to silence as Sirius reached up and started to pick the fruit but he lowered his arm as much as possible when he dropped the fruit in the hope that they wouldn't be damaged too much by their fall to the ground. Because he was being so careful it took Sirius a long time to pick a fair amount of the fruit. Sirius picked roughly sixteen of the apple like fruit before he couldn't reach any more.

'That's it I can't pick any more' stated Sirius tiredly.

'Okay, just give me a second and I'll help you down' said Remus equally tired.

So Remus slowly and carefully lowered his hands, his muscles throbbing in complaint as he strained to keep his movements slow and steady. Finally he stopped in the same position he had been in when Sirius had first placed his foot into his hands. Then Remus waited patiently for Sirius to gather his strength before Sirius slowly lowered his right leg to the ground.

Sirius was a little apprehensive about putting weight on his injured leg for it was hurting quite fiercely. But the leg held when he put weight on it, so with a relieved little sigh he removed his other leg from between Remus' hands. Then, without warning, his injured leg collapsed from under him and as he fell his outflung hand convulsively closed on Remus' shirt, thus pulling Remus down on top of him.

The air whooshed out of the two of them as they hit the ground, their bodies jarring together fiercely from the force of the impact. At first they were to stunned by the accident to do anything but lie there, staring into each other's eyes and their hot breaths mingling in the air between them. Then, because the opportunity was too good to miss, Sirius had to break the silence.

'I know I'm irresistible but I'm injured, couldn't you have waited a bit before trying to jump my bones?'

Remus' face flushed red and he hurriedly got up off of Sirius, too confused about the bolt of pleasure that had shot through him when Sirius' and his bodies had crashed together. He was so confused that he couldn't even contradict Sirius and point out the fact that it was Sirius' fault that he had landed on top of him. Remus was too lost in thought about his confusion on how Sirius' body had felt beneath his that he didn't hear any of Sirius' mutterings.

'Hey I'm sorry Sirius, here let me help you up and back over to the tree. Thanks Remus that would be great!' muttered Sirius to himself as he dragged himself back over to the tree and manoeuvred himself into a sitting position against the trunk.

'There you go Sirius, is there anything else I can do for you? Thanks and now you mention it I am kind of thirsty. No worries, just wait here a moment while I go fetch some water from the stream I can hear nearby. Okay but don't be gone too long I'm injured remember? Of course and don't worry I won't let anything happen to you. I know you won't but why is that? It's because I lo…'

'What are you doing?' asked Remus curiously.

'Fuck! You startled me' said Sirius jumping for he hadn't realized that Remus had sorted out whatever was bothering him and was paying attention again.

'Sorry but seriously, what were you doing?' asked Remus truly interested for he had calmed down enough to hear the end of Sirius' strange dialogue.

'Well, seeing as you seemed to be preoccupied I decided to do your part of the conversation as well as mine'.

'I see… Why?'

'Because its better then telling myself that I am thirsty and would like a drink' replied Sirius primly.

'I see, then wait right here and I'll go get you some water' said Remus the corner of his lip twitching slightly.

'Yes well, you do that and you never know by the time you get back I might have moved my arse slightly!' said Sirius in the same priggish tone.

This was too much for Remus; he broke into gales of warm happy laughter at Sirius' feigned snobbery. Because he was laughing so hard Remus failed to see the pleased smile that graced Sirius' lips, for Sirius had made him laugh in order to make him forget the pretend discussion Sirius had had with himself.

'Okay, I'm going now and I might as well see if I can find a stick or something to try and break those fruits with while I'm at it' said Remus calming down.

'Okay but don't be gone too long, after all, all I have to defend myself with is the fruit'

'Right, well I'll be back as soon as possible' said Remus with a warm smile and he turned and walked into the trees, leaving behind Sirius who was silently contemplating why Remus' smile had made his heart flutter.

Nearly half an hour had passed since Remus had left and Sirius, never one to sit still for long, was teaching himself how to juggle using the fruit. He wasn't too worried about the length Remus had been gone because he knew that Remus would be back if the stream wasn't as close as it sounded. The streams and such in this place could sound deceptively close. Another strange thing about this place was that water scooped up and held in your hands stayed put. Not a drop leaked through the fingers or sloshed over the top, the only way to empty your hands would be to drink the water or pull your hands apart, thus letting the water out. So Sirius was occupying his time by juggling the fruit when a thought suddenly popped into his head. A thought that, for some unknown reason, made his body heat in anticipation and embarrassment. He'd have to drink the water out of Remus' hands!

'What are you doing?' came Remus' voice, unexpectedly close.

'Nothing' said Sirius stopping his juggling, so that the fruit landed in his lap and he winced slightly when one landed a little too close for comfort.

'I found the stream, it wasn't as close as it sounds but nor was it too far away' said Remus crouching down beside Sirius and holding out his cupped hands which were full of the cool refreshing stream water.

'Uh… thanks' said Sirius a little nervously and that same nervousness was mirrored in his movements as he cupped Remus' hands with his own and leant down to drink the few refreshing mouthfuls Remus had bought back.

'Man, I needed that!' said Sirius leaning back against the tree with his eyes closed.

'Do you need any more?' asked Remus in a strange tone, causing Sirius to open his eyes and look at him sharply.

But whatever Remus was thinking to have caused such a strange tone remained hidden because for the first time since Sirius had known him, Remus' face was closed.

'Nah, I'm fine' replied Sirius and then because he decided that a change of subject was probably best he added 'Did you find anything to break open the fruit with?'

'No, so I guess I'll just have to test them the exact same way I've been testing the food since we got here' said Remus picking up one of the fruits and examining it.

'How have you been doing tha…? Wait! What are you doing?' yelped Sirius alarmed as Remus took a bite out of the fruit.

'Well they're not fluoro but there definitely pink on the inside' said Remus calmly, once he had swallowed the piece in his mouth and he turned the fruit so that Sirius could see the pale pink inside.

'Is that how you have been testing the food in this place?' asked Sirius distressed that Remus was putting his own life in danger.

'Mmm… you should be thankful, some of the foods here have made me quite ill' replied Remus in the same calm tone.

'How can you risk your life like that?' asked Sirius incredulous.

'Quite easily actually' replied Remus with a faint smile.

'Has it ever occurred to you that I might prefer to starve then to have you die on me?' demanded Sirius fiercely.

'You would?' asked Remus startled and then an inscrutable expression crossed his face as he watched Sirius.

'Of course! Now promise me that the only food you'll be eating from now on is the food we already know is safe!' said Sirius grabbing Remus' head in between his hands and forcing Remus to look him in the eye.

'Okay Sirius, I promise' said Remus quietly, meeting Sirius' intent stare with one of his own.

'Glad to hear it! Now about the fruit, what's it like?'

'It has a unique taste and thankfully it isn't one of the ones that make you sick which you especially should be grateful for'

'How can you tell it won't make you sick and why should I be especially grateful about it?' asked Sirius curiously.

'The reason I know that it's not one of the ones that make you sick is because those ones make you sick right away and the reason you should be especially grateful about it is because you're still holding my head in between your hands!' replied Remus patiently amused.

'Ah…? Right… So this fruit's safe to eat?' asked Sirius embarrassed as he released Remus' head and picked up one of the fruit to examine so that he wouldn't have to look at his friend.

'So it seems' said Remus fighting to keep a straight face.

'Great! I'm starving' said Sirius with enthusiasm though he still refused to look at Remus.

So the two once more returned to silence, though this time it was an uncomfortable one, as they ate the strangely filling fruit. Sirius and Remus were both confused on how awkward their friendship had become since arriving in this strange place. Other, more safer thoughts, which they were both sharing, was on the unique taste of the fruit. The fruit was intensely sweet while being at the same time incredibly sour and the maximum amount that Sirius or Remus could eat before they could eat no more was three.

Once they had finished Remus and Sirius sat in a silence that was slowly returning to normal. Neither understood the strange feelings they kept on experiencing but they both decided it would be best to ignore them, so that their friendship could return to normal. Remus was smart enough to know what the feelings more than likely meant but he wouldn't admit it, even to himself, for down that path led disaster. So Remus locked those feelings deep within and looked to his left in the hope of finding something different to talk about instead. He did.

'Uh… Sirius? I'm not sure the fruit was safe to eat after all'

'Why's that?' asked Sirius looking at Remus curiously at the strange tone in his voice.

'Answer me this, can you see that kind of see-through six foot turkey over there?' questioned Remus curiously, pointing off to his left.

'What are you on abo…? Oh? You mean _that_ six foot turkey!' answered Sirius shocked.

'So you can see it?'

'That depends… What colours the one you can see?'

'Fluoro yellow'.

'Then _yes_, I can see the giant turkey' said Sirius in an odd tone.

'Right… Well… Did you just see a little yellow monkey climb out of its arse?' asked Remus in an equally odd tone.

'God… I hope not!' said Sirius ardently.

'Um…? Is it just me or does everything else look a little odd?' said Remus as he looked around.

'Kind of like nothings solid?'

'Exactly! Except for you that is' replied Remus as he looked at Sirius, who seemed to be the only thing solid.

'I know what you mean, everything looks like I should be able to put my hand through it except that is for you, though, you look completely solid' said Sirius looking at Remus oddly.

'Could that possibly be because, maybe, I _am_ solid?' said Remus amused.

'Ha ha very funny, you know what I mean' said Sirius sarcastically.

'Yes I do' said Remus and then looking back at the turkey he asked 'Do you think it can hurt us?'

'I don't know… Maybe, do you think we should leave before we get the chance to find out?'

'That's a good idea but maybe you should turn into Padfoot, you'll be able to move faster on three legs'

'Admit it, you just want to see me naked' said Sirius with a suggestive look.

'It'd only be far considering that you saw me without a stitch' said Remus logically.

'_What_!?' yelped Sirius, astounded beyond belief.

'Only joking, I'll watch the turkey while you change' said Remus with a friendly grin that turned wicked as he added 'And don't worry, I won't even peek.'

'Wha…? I should hope not!' said Sirius unamused.

So Remus turned to watch the giant turkey, which had taken a couple of steps in their direction but didn't seem to have made up its mind whether or not to attack. Yet. While Sirius slowly and with some difficulty, removed his clothes and then turned into the great black dog.

Once he was fully changed Padfoot gave a soft bark to let Remus know that he could turn around. When he turned around Remus was secretly glad that Sirius had indeed changed into Padfoot and wasn't mucking around. He was surprised when he noticed that Sirius had wrapped the leftover fruit in his clothes, making it easier to carry them.

'Right let's get out of here and can you keep an ear on that thing? And don't go walking into anything, I think things are a lot more solid then they look' said Remus with a wry smile.

Padfoot cocked his head in that position dogs use when they're not sure about a sound they have heard. But in this case the expression was all too easy to read; it clearly said "how stupid do you think I am?" With another wry grin Remus just picked up the fruit wrapped in Sirius' clothes and headed off in the opposite direction of the giant turkey.

As they were walking Padfoot found that it was easier to travel on three good legs then on one. Because he didn't have to concentrate so hard on his walking, Padfoot let his mind wonder to other things. Including how he and Remus had seemed to have swapped positions. Remus seemed to have become more dominant and was more likely to say things that would have shocked him before. He, on the other hand, seemed to have inherited Remus' ability to be shocked by the littlest things and while he was appalled by his own behaviour, he quite liked the new Remus. Padfoot, lost in thought, walked straight into a see-through tree causing a loud thump to echo around the forest.

'Look at that, I just knew that you had a hard head!' stated Remus as Padfoot shook his head.

Padfoot looked up and gave a pathetic little whine, fishing for sympathy from his pack mate.

'Oh no, don't you look at me like that, I told you not to walk into anything and you went and walked into a tree, it's your own fault!' said Remus turning his back so that he wouldn't have to look at that cute little face.

'Well ain't you a bully?' said Sirius taking this chance to change back.

'Seeing as I doubt that dogs have learnt to talk I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that you've changed back' said Remus, stating the obvious.

'Yes, now could you give me my clothes back? Unless of course you want me to stand around naked?'

'You standing around naked has some interesting possibilities but here are your clothes' said Remus chucking them over his shoulder once he had emptied out the fruit.

'Thanks' said Sirius catching them and putting them back on.

'You weren't keeping an ear out for the giant turkey, were you?' said Remus exasperated.

'No… but how do you know that?' asked Sirius curiously and then he added 'Okay, I'm dressed'.

'The reason I know that you didn't listen out is because the giant turkey is standing about ten feet away and you haven't mentioned it!' replied Remus frustrated.

'Ah?' said Sirius cautiously, not sure if he should be more afraid of the turkey or Remus.

Remus gave Sirius a look of deep disappointment and Sirius felt his heart falter but before either could say anything the turkey let out a bone chilling screech and charged. They could only stand there in total shock, staring as the turkey rushed towards them, its screech still reverberating in the air and they knew their deaths were imminent. But then the turkey stopped in its tracks and with an odd "parp" kind of noise it turned around and fled back the way it had came.

'Well that was close' said Sirius relief prominent in every syllable he spoke.

'Yes it was, but why did it run away?' said Remus perplexed.

'Who cares?' said Sirius dismissively.

'I do, when something that size decides to attack you it doesn't just change its mind'

'Maybe it just realized that there are two of us?'

'I doubt it, after all it would have noticed that there were two of us before' said Remus rationally, turning around to face Sirius and once he had he added in a peculiar tone 'I think I know why it fled'

'Really, why?' asked Sirius, giving Remus a bemused look.

'Because of that thing behind you' replied Remus unconsciously reaching out to pull Sirius to safety but they were too far apart.

Unnerved by Remus' actions Sirius slowly turned around and beheld a… a… well to be quite honest it looked like a ten foot tall Cyclops, covered in purple hair and it had wings and one horn jutting from its forehead.

'What the fuck is _that_!?' said Sirius moving back quickly but he forgot about his injured leg which collapsed, causing him to fall into Remus who in turn fell over so that they ended up sitting on the ground.

'It's a one eyed, one horned, flying purple people eater' said Remus franticly, while trying to ignore the fact that Sirius was sitting in his lap.

'It's a what?' asked Sirius turning his head to stare at Remus in disbelief.

'It's from a muggle song'.

'Great! We get to be killed by a monster from a song!'

'Don't worry I won't let it hurt you' said a familiar voice.

Startled, Remus and Sirius whipped their heads to their right and saw Fabian standing there watching them with amusement.

'How are you meant to stop that thing from hurting us?' demanded Sirius flinging his arm in the direction of the Cyclops thing dramatically.

'By giving you something to counter the effects of the fruit' replied Fabian walking closer.

'Why are you helping us?' asked Remus quietly.

'Because I can't let you die, which is why I also bought some ointment to heal that leg' answered Fabian, directing the last bit at Sirius.

'So how do we kill the effects of the fruit?' asked Sirius enthusiastically.

'By eating this' said Fabian holding out a small flower that looked like a violet but kept changing through the colours of the rainbow.

'A flower! How's that meant to help?' asked Sirius dubiously.

'By stimulating the body, which reminds me, you might want to get off of Remus' lap' explained Fabian amused.

Remus and Sirius just sat there for a second looking at Fabian in perplexity, before they realized what kind of stimulation Fabian meant. So with a muffled "sorry" Sirius crawled off of Remus' lap blushing furiously and avoiding Remus' eyes. Remus failed to notice Sirius' reaction because he too was blushing furiously and was avoiding Sirius' eyes. Fabian on the other hand saw it all and a small private smile graced his features.

'Here you go and don't worry, the stimulation never lasts for more than a minute and if for any reason at all either of you decides to eat the fruit again remember that no matter how many you eat all it takes is one flower to cancel the effects' said Fabian with sympathy as Remus and Sirius took the flowers and ate them, all the while they refused to look at each other.

'What happens if you eat more than one flower?' asked Sirius as a way to pass the time until his body settled back down.

'If you do something stupid like that then you better hope that there is someone for you to have sex with close by' replied Fabian matter-o-factly.

'Ah?' said Sirius his blush deepening and then as a way to change the subject added 'So where's this ointment?'

'Here it is' said Fabian handing over a glass bottle with a white liquid in it.

'When you said an ointment I thought you meant a cream' said Sirius looking at the bottle.

'I know. Drink half the liquid and pour the other half over the wound and you'll be better in no time'.

'Thanks!'

'Don't mention it'.

'What does the fruit actually do?' asked Remus as he felt the effects of the flower leaving his system.

'The fruit is a hallucinogen'

'Is that why we saw those odd creatures and everything looked funny?' asked Remus for now that the effects of the flower had vanished everything had returned to normal.

'That's right and I must say that the two of you are different because even though most others see the six foot turkey and little yellow butt monkey you two are the first to see the people eater' said Fabian impressed.

'What's the point of that fruit anyway?' asked Sirius annoyed.

'The fruit is called Heart Fruit and it makes everything around you seem like a hallucination, except for what it is that your heart truly desires'

'Hey that would be an excellent way to get out of this place, all you need to do is eat that fruit, see what's real and presto, you can go home' said Sirius happily.

'You're correct there except for the fact that the monsters you can see while you are on the fruit are as dangerous and deadly as the real ones'

'So… it's like, killer hallucinations?' said Sirius thoughtfully.

'Exactly! Now I must leave' said Fabian and with a small wave he walked off, disappearing before he had gone ten steps.

'Now what do we do?' said Sirius turning to Remus who was lost in thought about something so Sirius added 'You-who, strange place to Remus, come in Remus are you okay?'

'What?' said Remus looking up.

'Hey are you okay?' asked Sirius concerned for Remus was paler than usual.

'Yeah fine, now how about we fix that leg of yours and then go look for water and a place to sleep?' said Remus trying to put out of his head what he had just remembered but it was difficult.

For he had remembered something that Sirius had obviously forgotten; when they had been suffering the effects of the Heart Fruit the only solid thing that either of them had seen was each other. Could it possibly mean what he thought it meant? Was _Sirius_ of all people what he truly desired?


	7. Chapter Six: Frolicking

**Disclaimer: **See Prologue

**Author's Note: **OMG! I can't believe that I'm actually getting this chapter out when I wanted to. I must be sick or something, maybe I should go and see the quack? (A shoddy or unreliable doctor; for those who didn't know what a quack was). Please if you read then review as well, I'm starting to feel.. ah, stuff it! Do what you want, chuck a party, run down the street naked. I don't care, have fun my pretties.

**Chapter Six: Frolicking**

_Moony returns and Padfoot is no longer injured... hmm this could either be a recipe for disaster or fun..._

It was early in the morning, it was in fact so early that the sun had yet to rise and Remus and Sirius were sitting high in the branches of what suspiciously looked like a cross between a cedar and willow. Both Remus and Sirius were leaning against the trunk that was extremely thick even at their height and they both had lying across their legs incredibly thick, staff like sticks.

'Hey, Remus, are you sleeping?' asked Sirius shifting his position slightly so he could look at his friend.

'No… are you?' replied Remus wryly.

'No but do you want to sleep or can we talk?'

'Let's talk I'm not going to be able to sleep now, not that I was sleeping before anyway' said Remus shifting his position so he could watch Sirius.

'Thanks' said Sirius with a pleased smile, and then he asked 'Can you believe that we've been here for about two months?'

'I know how you feel; so much has happened that it feels like a lot longer'

'I quite like it here, it's peaceful and it has given you and I a chance to really talk'

'Peaceful? Oh I see; all those creatures that we thought wanted to see what we taste like were really only trying to be our friends! How silly of me' said Remus sarcastically but he was wearing a friendly smile to take any sting out of his words.

'Alright, maybe peaceful wasn't the right word' said Sirius with a chuckle.

'There is one good thing that has come from being chased though'

'Really… What's that?'

'You falling into one of those strange tasting ponds'

'I meant to do that!'

'Oh, really? And let me guess; you also meant to swallow a mouthful of the water too!' said Remus in amused disbelief.

'Ah? No… _That_ was an accident'

'Well, accident or no I'm glad you fell into that pond, it's good to be clean again'

'I know what you mean! Who'd have thought that all those vile tasting ponds actually have something in them that cleans the skin and hair' said Sirius running his hands through his clean hair.

'That was a great discovery, now what do you reckon; should we climb down now or wait until the sun is fully up?' said Remus giving Sirius a friendly smile.

'Let's go down now, we have our sticks if anything comes' said Sirius returning Remus' smile with one of his own.

The two young men had become more relaxed and happy in each other's company, though they were both still experiencing strange feelings. They had both learnt to live with the odd feelings that kept popping up and to ignore them so at the moment they were both happy with life.

'Okay, down we go' said Remus and he carefully started the long climb back down the tree and Sirius started down not long after him.

It was a long climb to the foot of the tree and by the time that Remus finally reached the last branch and jumped to the ground the sun was just starting to peek up over the horizon. Remus had been feeling a little uncomfortable on the climb down but it wasn't until he reached the ground that he realized what must be happening. So he started looking around panicked, searching, and trying hard to find something as Sirius finally reached the ground.

'What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost' said Sirius jokingly as he came up behind Remus.

Remus suddenly dropped to the ground; a low moan of pain and despair escaping him.

'Remus what's wrong? I'm sorry, I was just joking' said Sirius babbling as an unreasonable fear raced its way through him.

'Not… You… Moon' Remus managed to get out before he could say no more.

At first Sirius looked at him in bewilderment, then realization dawned and he looked at the sky in the direction that Remus had been facing and beheld the full blue moon in all its glory. Sirius looked at Remus and saw that he was trying to fight the transformation and he had no idea why. Then he understood; Remus was fighting so that he himself would have time to change into Padfoot. So without a second thought Sirius quickly stripped off his clothes and changed into the great black dog.

Remus, fighting hard to allow Sirius time to change, saw the naked Sirius out of the corner of his eye and lost his concentration. Causing him to slip further towards the wolf and panic seized him at the thought that Sirius wouldn't have the chance to change in time. But then he heard Padfoot's familiar bark and with a sigh of relief he let go.

Padfoot, like his human half, had never seen Remus transform and he watched in amazement and sorrow as his pack mate changed. He was amazed at how his pack mates' body changed and how Remus was still a strong, caring person even though he had to suffer such pain. And he was sorrowful because Remus had to suffer so, for there is no cure for a werewolf bite. So Padfoot lost in thought gave a sad a little whine, not noticing that Remus had stopped changing and that Moony was now in front of him.

Moony heard Padfoot's sad little whine and whirled to face him, giving his own little whine of inquiry. Padfoot looked at Moony and saw him standing proudly, ready to attack or flee as the need may arise but at the moment he was worriedly watching his pack mate. Padfoot shook all unnecessary thoughts and feelings from him, for now with Moony here it was time to play. So with a wag of the tail and an exuberant bark Padfoot bounded towards Moony in an open invitation to play. Moony in turn gave a happy bark bounded towards Padfoot, feinted to the left and then dodged to the right, tail wagging furiously as he zigzagged through the trees with Padfoot close behind.

Padfoot of course being Padfoot wasn't paying too much attention to where he was going and ran head first into a tree. With a yelp more of surprise then pain he then stood there shaking his head to clear it. Moony hearing the yelp immediately came back to see what had happened and when he saw Padfoot standing in front of a tree shaking his head he drew the obvious conclusion of what had happened. Padfoot, sensing Moony's presence, looked up and saw Moony standing a few feet away with a wolfish grin on his face and amusement in every line of his stance.

"_It's not funny I'm hurt_!" said Padfoot petulantly.

"_Then I will check it for you_" said Moony seriously and he moved closer to Padfoot so that he could sniff his head for a wound.

"_There is nothing there though perhaps you will end up with a lump_" said Moony giving Padfoot a friendly nip on the ear.

Padfoot jumped slightly in shock when Moony nipped his ear and when he looked at him it was to see that Moony had that same wolfish grin on his face.

"_What was that for_?" demanded Padfoot.

"_Because… Let's hunt_!" replied Moony and he bounded a few feet away, stopped and looked back at Padfoot in open invitation to come hunt with him. With a doggish grin Padfoot leaped after Moony and together the two canines went on the hunt.

Four days had passed and still the blue moon hung high in the sky, never once moving from its position. Moony and Padfoot spent the days sleeping, playing, hunting and, when attacked, defending their lives from the other creatures that roamed the land and sky. Padfoot had found that, when threatened, Moony became a whirling dance of death and Padfoot had been astounded to see that Moony became even more deadly when he, Padfoot was threatened. When Padfoot asked Moony why he became even more aggressive when he, Padfoot was threatened Moony just gave him that wolfish grin and started a game of tag.

So in this way the two canines passed the days by and then something happened that would change their lives forever. Moony and Padfoot had just eaten and while Moony seemed content to just laze around Padfoot wanted to play and kept pestering Moony trying to get him to muck around with him. At first Moony just lay there and gave Padfoot warning growls but when Padfoot wouldn't stop Moony did the only thing he could in such a situation; he went for Padfoot.

When Moony came for him Padfoot went straight into a submissive stance; head down tail tucked between his legs but he realized that this was not enough. So he dropped down onto his belly then rolled over onto his back; exposing his vulnerable underbelly to Moony who stopped in his tracks and then came on more slowly. All the while his gaze never left Padfoot though thankfully he had stopped growling. When he reached Padfoot, Moony straddled him with his four legs on either side of Padfoot; effectively trapping him. Then Moony lowered his muzzle to Padfoots throat and another growl rumbled through him though this time it was different; it had a strange husky quality to it.

Padfoot was startled by this reaction and became even more shocked when Moony suddenly started to lick his face. It took a minute of two for it to register that Moony was kissing him and when he realized this Padfoot gave a happy little grunt and his tail started wagging. With Moony licking his face Padfoot decided he had better return the favour, especially if his plan was to work, so he started to lick Moony's face and the two canines were lost in their own happy little world.

Then Moony stopped; gently grabbed Padfoot by the ruff of his neck and pulled him to his feet. Then, when Padfoot was up Moony moved in extremely close to him and gave him a friendly tug on the ear and then bounded off ready for a new game; which Padfoot was happy to oblige with. So the two canines happily spent another three days wandering around and Padfoot learnt that learning if Remus was gay was one thing and dealing with a gay werewolf was another matter entirely.

For Moony was almost stiflingly protective while at the same time being extremely aggressive, so that Padfoot didn't even have a second to himself. Padfoot was becoming increasingly restless as he wasn't allowed to go anywhere without Moony there by his side. As their seventh night together came to an end and they were settling down for a nap Padfoot wasn't sure if he'd be able to go on with his plan without being driven insane.

But then Padfoot got a lucky break , when he woke up a couple of hours later with the sun just risen Moony was gone and in his place was Remus. Then, because he was extremely glad to see Remus, he either did a very dumb thing or a very smart one; he changed back into Sirius, grabbed Remus' head between his hands and planted a kiss firmly on Remus' lips. When he drew back he saw that Remus was wide awake and looking at him with a completely aghast expression on his face.

'Sirius… Wha?' started Remus.


	8. Chapter Seven: Falling

**Disclaimer: **See Prologue

**Author's Note:** Seeing as I've gotten a few lovely reviews and all I thought that I'd post up some more chapters. So you'll get this one and the next one tonight and the next two tomorrow and then I am done and this story will be over and I can concentrate on my other stories, yay me!

**Chapter Seven: Falling**

_Remus feels confused as he finally admits his growing attraction to Sirius... but will he fall or stand tall...?_

'Sirius… wha?' started Remus complete shock running through his system at Sirius' kiss; then he realized that they were both naked and he had to fight the almost animalistic urge to push Sirius to the ground and mount him.

Sirius was almost as shocked as Remus at the kiss he gave him but he convinced himself that he'd done it for no other reason than to get Remus to want him. He congratulated himself on a job well done when he saw obvious desire fog Remus' eyes before it suddenly vanished and he was left looking into Remus' incredibly clear; honey coloured eyes.

'Sirius… wha?' Remus huskily started again before he had to stop and swallow a few times to regain his composure and he was hoping that Sirius wouldn't see the stirring from a certain part of his body.

'Sorry about that Remus… it's just that I was so glad to see you!' said Sirius with a devilish grin.

'Oh?' said Remus and he knew that he sounded disappointed so to cover it up, he sat up as much as he could without brushing his body against Sirius'.

Who knows what would happen if that happened? So with extreme care Remus made sure that their bodies wouldn't touch and without looking at Sirius he looked around and asked 'Do you think there's some new clothes around here somewhere?'

'I don't know… maybe' said Sirius amused by how Remus was acting.

Remus was acutely aware of Sirius' naked body still leaning uncomfortably close; how Sirius' intoxicating scent hung in the air and how Sirius' hot breath struck his bare skin every time he spoke, thus causing a strange shiver to pass through Remus' body. Sirius on the other hand seemed oblivious to all of this and, to Remus' relief; he seemed oblivious to what it was doing to Remus' body. Still Remus refused to even glance at Sirius but it was hard to resist the urge to watch him; to study every single line of Sirius' body until he knew them by heart. But Remus pushed all those thoughts and emotions away until they were safely locked deep within his mind where they could stay until it was safe to study them. Meaning when he and Sirius were dressed and he had a moment to himself to seriously consider what it was he truly wanted.

'Uh… Sirius… do you think that you could… move?' asked Remus a little nervously.

'Why… what's wrong?' asked Sirius.

'Nothing… as such' replied Remus a little throatily and he finally looked at Sirius.

Sirius felt his breath catch in his throat when Remus' unbelievable honey coloured eyes met his. Sirius felt as though he was drowning as he gazed into those golden depths and he felt as though he would never be able to look away again. It seemed that Remus must have felt the same way because, since the moment he'd met Sirius' gaze, he hadn't blinked or looked away once.

Remus felt paralysed by the look in Sirius' intense dark grey eyes and he felt irresistibly drawn to them and their owner. Then with a start Remus noticed that Sirius had moved imperceptibly closer and now there was only the merest hint of a gap between their lips. Remus' breath came in hitching little bursts as Sirius' hot breath caressed his lips; then everything seemed to stop as Sirius one more bought his lips to meet with Remus' in a kiss. As soon as Sirius kissed him all thoughts fled from Remus' mind and he let himself get lost in the wonderful new sensations that were coursing through his body. It may have been wishful thinking or even his imagination but to Remus Sirius' lips tasted like chocolate; Merlin how he missed chocolate!

Remus was blissfully enjoying Sirius' lips on his in the gentle kiss when Sirius suddenly decided to change it into something else. Without warning Sirius grabbed Remus' bottom lip between his teeth and gave it a sucking nip before running his tongue along it in a gentle caress. He was happy with the startled gasp he got from Remus and he was about to see what other sounds he could draw out of him when Remus suddenly put his hands to Sirius' chest and firmly pushed them apart.

Because he couldn't bring himself to look Sirius in the eye Remus was watching his hands which were still pressed against Sirius' bare chest and because of this he failed to see the faint echo of disappointment that briefly flared in Sirius' eyes. Remus and Sirius stayed how they were for a moment; each trying to regain their composure and as Remus squished the desire that was burning through his body he was secretly glad that Sirius had bitten his lip. When Sirius had bitten his lip Remus had felt a bolt of pleasure shoot through his body but the pleasure couldn't compete with the need to stop what was happening before it went too far.

Sirius may not have meant for it to happen but with that bite Remus had come to his senses and had remembered why they had to stop. He wasn't going to let them get lost in a kiss; no matter how much his body craved it and more. For he and Sirius were friends… _male_ friends and he was already different enough; he didn't need to add being gay to his list of worries.

'Sirius what… are you doing?' said Remus and he knew that his barely restrained desire was evident in his tone but so was his confusion.

'What do you mean?' asked Sirius, seemingly perplexed.

'Why do you keep kissing me?' replied Remus and he felt his cheeks heat.

'Let _me_ ask _you _something' said Sirius seriously.

'Um… okay?' said Remus uncertainly.

'Don't you like me kissing you?"

'That has nothing to do with it!' said Remus shaking his head.

'So you _don't_ like me kissing you?'

'No!... I mean yes… I mean that's besides the…' begun Remus confusedly but Sirius laid a gentle finger against his lips; effectively silencing him.

Then Sirius leant in close to Remus' ear and whispered in an almost husky tone 'I like you Remus… more than I've ever liked anyone and if you want me too I'd be more than happy to sleep with you'

'Um… don't we already sleep with each other?' asked Remus innocently; being purposefully dense.

'Fine… if that's the way you want to play then I will simplify it for you,' said Sirius with a throaty chuckle, 'If you wish it then I will have sex with you'

'Sirius…' groaned Remus weakly and then in desperation he roughly shoved Sirius away, got up and fled through the trees; not caring one whit that he was still naked.

Sirius was too shocked by Remus' fierce reaction, not to mention his incredibly well shaped arse, to do more than stare and by the time he thought that maybe he should have gone after him; Remus was long gone. With a wry shake of his head Sirius got up, grabbed an outfit from the pile of clothes that had been sitting just behind Remus and then as he started to get dressed he said to himself 'Well… _that_ was unexpected; I wonder what's going happen now?'

Remus was nearly a mile away before he stopped running and he was shocked for a moment by how easily he could still breathe before the memory of what had just happened between Sirius and him came back and he dropped to his knees; his arms wrapped around his body as silent tears coursed down his cheeks.

'Why do I have to feel like this?' demanded a distraught Remus angrily of the air.

'What's the worry?' asked Fabian from Remus' left.

Startled, Remus glanced to his left and found Fabian squatting down beside him. Remus received another shock when he noticed that there was genuine worry in Fabian's strange eyes.

'What are you doing here?' hiccupped Remus; trying to wipe the tears from his eyes.

'I have brought you a change of clothes and I thought that perhaps you'd like someone to talk to?' said Fabian holding out the clothes.

'Thanks' said Remus with a weak smile as he took the clothes and put them on.

'No worries, it's part of my job to make sure that those under my care stay alive; not to mention the fact that I need to be there when each of those that I bring here are ready or near to ready to admit to themselves what it is that their heart's truly desire also, because I'm alone here, I end up caring for those under my care because even if only for a little while they are company' said Fabian with a smile and he shifted his position so that he was sitting cross-legged on the ground.

'Don't you need to breathe?' asked Remus sitting cross-legged across from Fabian.

'Your friend asked me that once, before he rescinded and the answer to it is no; I do not need to breathe because I have a very important job to do and I am therefore not allowed to die'

'He did… didn't he?' said Remus and a few fresh tears escaped from his eyes as he thought of Sirius and all that they had been through together.

'So it seems that the thought of your friend really touches you deeply, doesn't it?' said Fabian with his head cocked to one said and an unfathomable look in his eyes.

'Yes… and I don't understand why! Nor do I understand why I keep getting animalistic urges from deep inside' said Remus with a watery smile.

'You'll have to figure out the first bit for yourself but I can help you with the second part if you like?'

'Really? Thanks I'd like that a lot'

'The animalistic urges you keep feeling are coming from the wolf inside of you'

'Oh… but how is that possible and how come I've never felt it before?'

'That is easy to explain; there has always been a part of the wolf in you just like there has always been a part of you in it and the reason why you can suddenly sense it, and you should know that it could probably sense you too, is that you now have a common desire' explained Fabian calmly.

'A common desire… what could we both want?' asked Remus sceptically.

'That is for you to realize… I cannot tell you; think back and talk out loud about what seems likely and then perhaps you'll know' replied Fabian giving Remus an amused yet knowing grin.

'Okay, let's see… you brought Sirius and I here so that we could learn what it is our hearts truly desire. Padfoot asked Moony if he would protect Padfoot and Moony said "always". Since then I seem to have become more easily embarrassed around Sirius. When we ate the hallucinogenic fruit you said that the only thing that looked solid is what our heart's truly desired. Last time I was Moony I kissed Padfoot but I always do that; he's such an adorable little dog even if he's not so adorable in person. But Padfoot kissed Moony back and that's the first time he's done that and when I became human again this morning Sirius kissed me' said Remus; his voice getting softer as he reached the end.

'Okay… you said that you always kiss Padfoot but has _Moony_ ever kissed Padfoot before?' asked Fabian giving Remus a knowing look.

'No… he hasn't' said Remus wondering what Fabian was getting at.

'Now think on that and think on this; remember what you said about what I said when I was explaining about Heart Fruit and what I said before about you and Moony now having a common desire?'

'Right' said Remus and he thought on what he'd just been told to think on and all the while Fabian was watching him closely with that same inscrutable look on his face.

Fabian gave a sorrowful little smile as Remus slowly paled with the realization of what Fabian had been talking about and then Remus flushed a deep red as he finally accepted the truth. A truth he had known for a long time now but had been unwilling to admit; especially to himself.

'So now you know,' said Fabian standing up and dusting himself off, ' Now all you need to do is figure out what you're going to do about it; see you around'

Remus, feeling slightly dazed, watched as Fabian walked off; disappearing before he'd gone ten steps. So now Remus knew the truth and because of his acceptance of that truth he knew that if Sirius was to voice his offer again then he wouldn't be able to resist. Because he knew now without a doubt that Sirius was what his heart truly desired.


	9. Chapter Eight: A Night Of Passion

**Disclaimer: **See Prologue and if you're too tired to check then make one up.

**Author's Note: **Geez, I wonder what this chapter could be about *snort* yeah right and if you people can't guess by the title, then I suggest you go and get a check up as there is seriously something wrong with you. Don't forget to R,R,OF; read, review or flame as they all sound good to me.

**Chapter Eight: A Night Of Passion**

_The title says it all really... doesn't it...?_

It was late afternoon; almost dark by the time that Remus found Sirius who had found a, really nice, quiet glade with a bubbling brook flowing through it. When he saw Sirius lying with one arm resting over his eyes in the dappled shade Remus stopped in uncertainty; nervous about what it was that he was planning. He knew what he wanted; Sirius, and now he was willing to give in to his desire but only if Sirius once more voiced his offer.

'Uh… Sirius?' Remus tried to say but it came out as little more than a whisper because of how nervous he was.

So Remus swallowed a couple of times; trying to wet his throat and build up the courage he needed for what he hoped would happen.

'Uh… Sirius?' this time it came out louder than before but there was still a slight shake to it.

When he heard Remus say his name Sirius uncovered his eyes slightly so that he could look at Remus and an amused little smile graced his lips when he noticed how nervous Remus was. Obviously Remus was still a little jittery from their kiss earlier and Sirius had no intentions of letting him pretend that it had never happened. After all, that would spoil his revenge.

'What's wrong Remus; have you come to take me up on my offer?' said Sirius wickedly, knowing that Remus would say "no" but he'd keep at it until Remus agreed.

'Um… actually… yes, I have' said Remus in relief causing Sirius to sit up and look at him in shock at his totally unexpected answer.

'You have?' asked Sirius in stunned disbelief.

'Uh… yes?' replied Remus, a little unsure of Sirius' reaction.

'You do remember what it is I offered, don't you?' said Sirius suspiciously.

'Uh… yes?'

'So you remember that I offered to have sex with you if you wanted me too?'

'Uh… yes?'

'Let me get this straight! You, Remus Lupin, have come to take me, Sirius Black, up on my offer and have sex; right?'

'Uh… yes… why, don't you want to anymore?' asked Remus almost angrily; all his fears gone when he thought that maybe Sirius hadn't been serious and was just pulling a practical joke.

'Yes of course I want to! It's just that I didn't expect you to agree to it so soon, that's all' replied Sirius hurriedly, then as Remus just stood there watching him, Sirius felt a little nervous at the thought of what he was agreeing too.

'Okay than' said Remus with a growl; as he fought the animal urge to pounce on Sirius.

'Okay' agreed Sirius with a nod and then as Remus slowly begun to walk towards him Sirius gulped and added 'Just remember that I'm new at this too, okay Remus?'

At Sirius' words Remus stopped in his tracks and studied his friend and he realized that Sirius was just as nervous as he was about all of this. Though he was trying to play it "cool" by leaning back on his hands and acting as though it didn't bother him; Remus wasn't fooled. So Remus gave a nod in understanding and started walking again. Once he'd reached Sirius' side Remus just stood there, shifting his weight slightly from foot to foot; unsure as to what he should do now. Sirius of course was no help; he just raised one eyebrow delicately in expectation. It was at this stage that Remus decided that it would probably be best if he let his instincts take over.

Remus ran the fingers of his left hand through his hair in uncertainty; wondering if he was really willing to do this. If he really was willing to just let go and to stop thinking. Suddenly Remus noticed that it had gotten darker incredibly fast and when he glanced up at the sky it was to see that it was covered in thick, roiling clouds. Were the clouds because of him; because of his indecision? Well… there was only one way to find out. With new determination Remus released the hold he usually kept on his instincts; which kept him from acting before he'd thought things through properly, too bad he couldn't say the same thing for some people he knew.

Remus moved until he stood with one leg on either side of Sirius and then he sat down; effectively straddling Sirius. Sirius' eyes widened slightly in surprise when Remus straddled him; for he was still waiting for Remus to change his mind and run away. But it seemed that Remus was full of surprises today and Sirius was more than curious to see how far Remus was willing to go.

Before he could change his mind Remus grabbed Sirius' head between his hands and brought their lips together in a crushing kiss. Remus' apprehension faded away as Sirius returned the kiss fiercely. Still listening to his instincts Remus did to Sirius what Sirius had done to him only that morning; he nipped Sirius' bottom lip and then ran his tongue along it causing Sirius to give a delighted gasp at this unexpected action. When Sirius gasped his mouth opened slightly and Remus took this opportunity to slip his tongue into Sirius' mouth.

As Remus' tongue slipped into his mouth and begun to caress his, Sirius was shocked by Remus' tenacity; shocked yes but not bothered. It seemed that Remus had meant it when he'd said that he'd come to take Sirius up on his offer; perfect. By this time tomorrow Remus should have learnt that you do _not_ mess with a Black or you'd suffer the consequences. But enough of serious thoughts decided Sirius; it was time to have some fun. So Sirius banished his thoughts and started to run his tongue along Remus' in return.

Remus had begun to think that maybe Sirius really had been joking about wanting to do this for Sirius was just sitting there; not really doing a thing. Then Sirius' arms came up and wrapped around Remus' waist and Sirius' tongue started to caress his own with increasing fervour. Until the two moist muscles were hungrily testing, tasting each other and their opposite owners mouth.

Sitting as they were, with Remus straddling Sirius' waist, there was no way that either of the young men could fail to notice that the other was aroused. As much as they both wanted to feel each other's bare skin rubbing against each other; they both wanted the for-play to last as long as it could until neither of them could hold back anymore. So Remus moved his mouth from Sirius' and began to lick, nibble and suck his way along Sirius' jaw line and down onto Sirius' neck. As he was exploring the area around Sirius' adams apple, Remus felt the vibrations as Sirius gave a barely audible moan of desire; causing Remus to give a small smile of pleasure.

While Remus had been concentrating on Sirius' neck and the surrounding areas, Sirius had been exploring the toned muscles and scars through Remus' clothes. Now, however, Sirius decided that it was time to get rid of that annoying obstruction. So Sirius moved his hands from Remus' back to his front and up to the top button of Remus' shirt. As Sirius slowly begun to unbutton the shirt he foggily decided that it was a good thing these shirts were buttoned. He did not want to disturb Remus, for he was busy with a sensitive spot just behind Sirius' left ear.

Finally, and after a lot of difficulty, Sirius got the last button undone and he slipped his hands back up Remus' now bare torso; tracing every curve and scar as he went. As Remus felt Sirius' hands on his bare skin a primal sounding growl escaped from between his lips. Once his hands had reached Remus' shoulders; Sirius gently coaxed Remus' arms back slightly so that he could fully remove the shirt. When he felt Sirius remove his shirt rationality returned to Remus for a moment and he hazily wondered if they were doing the right thing. Perhaps it would be best if they tried talking things through first?

'Sirius…?' begun Remus huskily but his voice died in his throat and all thoughts fled once more as Sirius flicked his tongue across the hollow at the base of Remus' neck.

When Remus said his name, Sirius instinctively knew that he was going to try and suggest that they stop what they were doing and talk about it. Sirius couldn't allow this for he knew that if Remus was given the chance then he'd talk himself out of having sex and that would be the end of Sirius' revenge. So Sirius did the only thing he could think of to keep Remus from stopping what they were doing. He flicked his tongue across the hollow at the base of Remus' neck and gave a small smile of satisfaction when Remus stopped talking. Then he licked and nibbled his way down to Remus' left nipple; which he flicked his tongue across before he bit down sharply on it. This made Remus grab his arms painfully and to give a deep throated moan of desire.

When Sirius ignored his efforts to speak and instead went exploring Remus' chest with his tongue; Remus knew that they weren't going to stop and quite frankly he suddenly didn't care. Leaving Sirius to continue what he was doing Remus moved his hands to the top button of Sirius' shirt. Then slowly, a button at a time, Remus begun to unbutton Sirius' shirt until the last one was undone. With the last button undone Remus slowly ran his hands up Sirius' chest causing Sirius to give a deep moan of desire and, without meaning to, to bite down harder on Remus' nipple than he was intending too.

Sirius decided that biting Remus harder than he'd intended might not be such a bad thing when another primal sounding growl rumbled deep within Remus' throat. In fact Sirius decided, as he felt Remus fully remove his shirt, that all this might not be so bad after all. Though he was loath to admit it Sirius had been a little uneasy about his plan; after all he'd never had sex with another male before. But now he was really looking forward to the rest of this night.

As he removed Sirius' shirt it was obvious to Remus that Sirius had gotten distracted for he was no longer paying careful attention to Remus' nipple. But that was okay, Remus decided, for now it was his turn to explore Sirius' body. So Remus placed his hands on Sirius' shoulders and gently, yet firmly, forced Sirius to lie down. Then Remus planted a fierce kiss on Sirius' lips and slowly begun to kiss and lick his way down Sirius' body. Until he reached the left nipple which he grabbed between his teeth and sucked on. Drawing a deep throated moan from Sirius and a breathless exclamation of "Remus!"

Sirius was completely shocked by Remus' actions but he wasn't in the least unhappy with them. In fact he was quite looking forward to everything that was going to happen. But it was more than that for he was well and truly enjoying himself. As Sirius was contemplating all of this it seemed that Remus had gotten bored with his nipple and had decided to move lower. Sirius dug his fingers into the earth and arched his back as he felt Remus' tongue trace along the skin just above his pant line. Sirius was amazed at this change in Remus for he had always been the shy and reserved member of their group but now, oh god, now he was so much more!

Remus had to admit it; he was truly enjoying himself and Sirius' reactions to his actions. With a pleased, private, smile Remus ran his hands with tantalizing slowness down Sirius' chiselled chest until he reached the belt buckle of Sirius' pants. Then, with the same tantalizing slowness, Remus proceeded to undo both the belt and Sirius' pants. With an ease that belied his inexperience Remus removed Sirius' pants, feeling his breath catch when he beheld the full glory that was Sirius naked.

Sirius felt slightly self-conscious when Remus removed his last article of clothing; Fabian hadn't bothered to give them any underwear. Then as Remus just continued to sit there and stare Sirius felt a faint flush enter his cheeks; causing Remus to smirk slightly when he noticed. Then with a devilish smile Remus slowly begun to undo his own belt buckle and pants and proceeded to remove them; causing Sirius to give a deep throated growl of desire at what was revealed. Remus had been turned into a god; thank you Fabian!

Remus gave a pleased little smile at Sirius' reaction and then it turned slightly wicked as he ran one of his hands from just below Sirius' waist and up his chest. Sirius arched his back and gave an almost dog like growl which only made Remus' smile widen as he returned to his straddling position on Sirius' hips. Then Remus pinned Sirius' hands to the ground with his own and locked their lips together in a smouldering kiss. As Remus forced his tongue into Sirius' mouth, deepening the kiss, he slowly began to rock his hips back and forth against Sirius' own. As he continued to slowly rock their hips together, thus causing their bodies to rub against each other, Remus kept his mouth firmly attached to Sirius'. Knowing that if he didn't then the moans and exclamations of "Remus" and "Sirius" that were being dragged from their throats would be loud enough for anything dangerous to hear.

Sirius was totally enjoying himself and he wasn't ashamed in the least for he had already decided that he might as well have some fun before he totally destroyed Remus' spirit. Sirius could feel the pressure in his body building rapidly as Remus continued to rock their bodies together. Which Remus was keeping slow yet constant and Sirius was moving his own hips in time with Remus' movements as the two of them steadily built towards climax.

In fact the two of them were nearly there and their breaths were coming in short gasping bursts. Which were the more difficult to take because Remus still had his lips locked to Sirius' to lessen any sounds they were making. Then within a few rapid moves they both reached their release point and they both collapsed; completely drained.

'Well… _that_… was fun' said Remus into Sirius' neck; gasping for air.

'Mmm' replied Sirius warily.

'What… do you… want to do… now?'

'Sleep'

'Oh?'

'Yeah… and then… we can talk… in the morning'.

'Okay… night' said Remus rolling off of Sirius and onto his back.

'Night' replied Sirius sleepily; rolling over so that he was snuggled up close to Remus' side.

A small smile of pleasure graced Remus' exhausted features as he wrapped his arms around Sirius' gently snoring frame. With a happy little sigh Remus kissed the top of Sirius' head and soon he too was fast asleep; lost in a world of pleasant dreams. Unknown to both of the young men; Fabian came and watched them for a little while as they slept. Knowing that soon these two would face incredible hardships brought on by the dog boy's reckless plan. Fabian also knew that if these two could not sort everything out within thirteen weeks then he'd have to kill them so that they could start again from the very beginning. So Fabian left; hoping against hope that the two of them would be able to sort everything out between them before it was way too late.


	10. Chapter Nine: Broken

**Disclaimer: **See Prologue, the song is "Nothing At All" by Kasey Chambers and I do not own it.

**Author's Note: **Here's the second to last chapter, just as I promised, go me! Um? I really don't like this chapter much, for no particular reason then it upsets me. So please tell me what you think, please?

**Chapter Nine: Broken**

_With a broken heart Remus flees through the strange land, hoping to out run the pain…_

"_One was the light in a candle_

_Two was the colour of the rain_

_Three was a fall in deeper_

_Four was a cry and shame_

_Five was a shiver in the winter _

_Six was a losing card_

_Seven was the hope I would never fall too hard"_

Running, he was running as fast as he could but still he could not escape those taunting, numbing words. As he raced through the forest, as he had been doing for days now, he couldn't decide if the blurriness of his vision was from his speed or from the tears that wouldn't stop pouring down his face. He was devastated, he had given all that he was to Sirius and Sirius had used that to break him with a few choice words.

"*I hate you Remus Lupin! You do not mean anything to me*"

Still those hurtful words followed him and still he could not escape them. He had been so happy to be with Sirius and it had seemed like Sirius had felt the same. But then, a few days after that night in the glade, Sirius had ripped out his heart and shattered his very being.

"*Come now, you can't seriously believe I felt anything for you? I had a need and you were useful, that is all*"

He couldn't stand the pain, it was tearing him up inside. In fact, it felt like he was dying, it was that bad. Suddenly he reeled into a tree as the ground heaved, as it had been doing on and off since that horrible day. He wrapped his arms around the tree in a fierce embrace, gasping for air as he waited for the ground to stop moving. He would have to start moving again soon or Sirius, who had been following him for days now, would catch him. That he could not allow, for he could not stand to hear more of those hurtful words.

"*Care for you? How could I, someone from the most noble House of Black, care for someone like you? A half-breed monster who likes his male friends in unhealthy ways*"

There it was again, that voice that had once been so beautiful was now ugly and full of contempt as it taunted him with what he had lost. With that which he had never really had. Oh how it hurt! With a last gulp of air he pushed off from the tree and continued to flee away from Sirius, whose footsteps he could hear as Sirius got dangerously close. Why did he keep doing this to himself? Why did he keep stopping, to allow Sirius to catch up? What ridiculous questions, he knew why. It is because he longs to see that beautiful face again; craves to hear Sirius' voice filled with warmth and love once more, even though he knows that will never happen.

"*Ah but that is where you're wrong, I don't like you I just used you; after all, there aren't any girls around here and I needed to get my release one way or another and you were all too easy to use*"

Still he could not escape those awful words and still he didn't really want to. Was he such a masochist that he couldn't truly leave that which was causing him such pain? Suddenly his right foot came down on a surface that offered no resistance and with a start of surprise he realized that he'd come to a deep, fast flowing river that he had no-way of stopping himself from falling into. With a resounding splash he fell into the water and just before he was swept away he could've sworn that he saw Sirius standing on the bank with such a horrified expression on his face. That Sirius had called out his name with such despair as he was swept away by the freezing, fast flowing river.

_"One was a breath under water_

_Two was a crash and burn_

_Three was a ghost of the lover_

_Four was a lot to learn_

_Five was the livin' in a cradle_

_Six was a mercy cry_

_Seven was the hope you would never say goodbye"_

When he came to, it was to discover that he was lying on dry sand by the river's edge and he was looking up at the deep, dark purple-black clouds that had clouded the sky for weeks now, ever since that day. Getting up with a faint moan for all the bumps and bruises he had received on his down river journey, he noticed a fresh set of dry, clean clothes sitting on a rock a few feet away and he realized that Fabian must have saved him.

With a weary sigh he got out of his wet clothes and changed into the dry ones, and then he took a look at his surroundings. He was in a part of the forest he had never visited before but like the rest of the forest this part was also dying. You could see it in the ugly black rot that was spreading through all of the plants, killing them to the core. The death of the forest, the rumblings of the land and the darkening of the sky had all happened at the same time weeks ago. On the same day and seconds after _it_ happened.

"*Actually, you know what Remus, I don't hate you; I loathe you and I despise your very presence which is enough to make me sick, so go on, get out of here I never want to see your face again!*"

With a jerk he realized with despair that the cruel taunting voice still hadn't left him, no matter how badly he wished it was so. This too was probably his own fault for even though they were evil words it was still Sirius' voice and he wasn't ready to give that up. Not yet. With another glance around he realized that here was a place where he could rest and sleep for there was no-way that Sirius could find him now, he was too far away. So with another weary little sigh he collapsed onto the sand and was soon lost in a deep sleep filled with pleasant and unpleasant dreams alike, all of Sirius.

_"You win_

_I lose_

_You leave with nothin' to prove_

_You rise, I fall_

_I leave with nothing_

_Nothing at all"  
_  
With a start he jerked awake and for a moment he just lay there, unsure as to what had awaken him. Then he heard it.

'Remus, where are you? Can you hear me? Please, answer me!'

'Siri…' Sirius' shout was filled with such fear and despair that he automatically started to answer it before all the painful memories came rushing back in.

"*Don't you get it Remus? I used you, you mean absolutely nothing to me and all your pleading and crying won't change that fact!*"

That was why he must keep running, why he must never answer the despairing call of the one who was always chasing. He knew that soon he would have to get up and start running again but for the moment he stayed where he was. Trying to gather as much energy as he could to his exhausted body.

'Remus!'

Sirius' much longed for voice was close, too close and looking up he was shocked when his eyes locked with Sirius' over the river. Sirius had finally caught up with him. There Sirius was, on the other side of the water looking at him with such sorrow in his eyes. For a moment he stayed where he was, drinking in all the details of Sirius' lean body. Then without any warning he was up and running once more.

'Remus wait! Please, let me explain'

As Sirius' voice echoed after him, he could've sworn that Sirius' voice was full of desperation, like there was something really important that Sirius needed to share with him. That thought caused him to stumble and slow down but then his resolve hardened as he decided that Sirius was probably just playing with his feelings again. So with a fierce determination never to look back, he started running forward once more. Determined that he would outrun both the bad memories and the one who had caused them.

_"One was a faith in a sorrow_

_Two was a waste of a dream_

_Three was a life in a bottle_

_Four was the last to believe_

_Five was a break in the weather_

_Six was back to the start_

_Seven was the hope it would never go this far"_

Once more he'd been running for days and he'd nearly reached his limit so he was unsure if what happened next was real or if he was having a hallucination. His pace had slowed dramatically and he was stumbling on every other stride. He was numb with exhaustion and his vision was practically nonexistent, when suddenly it seemed as though Fabian was keeping pace beside him.

'Why do you run Remus?' asked Fabian in his musical voice.

'Because I am afraid' gasped Remus.

'What are you afraid of?'

'That he'll catch up'

'I suppose that he is Sirius and why are you afraid of him catching up?'

'Because if he catches up then he can hurt me again'

'What makes you think that he is chasing you so that he can hurt you?'

'Why else would he be following me?'

'Perhaps he wishes to apologize'

'Huh… yeah right, why would he want to do that when he's made it perfectly clear that he hates me' said Remus harshly.

'So Sirius' words are haunting you and because of that you can't see anything clearly anymore' said Fabian perceptively.

'Oh no I see things fine thanks, I see that I was a fool to believe that Sirius felt anything for me' said Remus bitterly.

'That is not true Remus Lupin and I want you to promise me that, should Sirius catch you, you will listen to what he has to say and in return I shall remove all those taunting words'

Remus felt a thrill infuse his being at the thought that he'd never have to hear those awful words again and all he had to do was make a promise that he might not have to keep. It depended on whether or not Sirius could catch him and so far that didn't look likely.

So with a feeling of relief Remus gasped out 'Agreed, I promise to listen if Sirius catches up with me'

Fabian gave a nod of satisfaction and with barely a thought he locked away all the words that were causing Remus such pain. This caused Remus to trip and fall over as he felt all the words disappear.

When Remus fell over Fabian also stopped and then, when Remus struggled to get back up, he put a firm hand on Remus' chest and said 'Stay; rest for Sirius is far enough behind you that you can afford to sleep and regain your energy'.

With a grateful smile at Fabian for his help Remus curled up on his side and was soon fast asleep. With a sympathetic shake of his head, Fabian placed some fruit by Remus' head where he couldn't fail to notice them and walked off. Feeling a deep sadness at the certainty that time was fast running out and that if Sirius couldn't fix what he had broken then they were both going to have to die.

_"You win_

_I lose_

_You leave with nothin' to prove_

_You rise, I fall_

_I leave with nothing_

_Nothing at all"_

Instead of running he was now walking through the forest for with the removal of all those hurtful words, other words, memories of more pleasant times, had come to the fore. Memories that he couldn't contemplate while running. Of words spoken in unguarded moments, when Sirius obviously spoke without thinking.

"*Has it ever occurred to you that I might prefer to starve then to have you die on me?*"

If Sirius truly didn't care then why would he say something like that? Though, of course, Sirius could have been faking his concern. But he seriously doubted that for Sirius had obviously said it without thinking.

Then of course there had been all those odd looks and the strange times when each other's presence had made the other uncomfortable. Sirius had felt those feelings too, he was sure of it. All those times when Sirius would blush or would refuse to meet his eyes. If Sirius seriously didn't feel the same way, then why did he seem to be so shy in those unguarded moments? Not to mention all the times Sirius had watched him and then had avoided the question when he was asked about why he was doing it. And why had Sirius seemed so worried about him?

"*Hey are you okay?*"

"*Yeah*"

"*Are you sure?*"

Then again it was always possible that Sirius was mucking with his feelings, even back then, though he seriously doubted it. For there was something about the way that Sirius acted that just seemed real and now he thought about it, there was something in the way that Sirius had said all those hurtful words that seemed fake somehow. Then again maybe he was imagining it all but he would keep his promise to Fabian. If Sirius caught him then he would listen to what Sirius had to say but that didn't mean that he would make it any easier for Sirius.

'Moony please?' came Sirius' cry from incredibly close by and there was a strange hitch in his words.

Startled he glanced behind him and saw Sirius standing not two feet behind him and there were tears streaming down Sirius' face.

'I can't! If you want me to listen then you'll have to catch me. That is what I promised after all' he said with a shake of his head and then he was off, once more running to escape the pain.

From behind came the despairing cry of "Moony" followed by the muffled thumps of Sirius' feet as Sirius once more begun to run after him.

_"I was your wasting time_

_You were my angel wing_

_I was your falling star_

_You were my everything"_

Again he'd been running for days but this time he couldn't increase the distance between him and the one chasing. At first he'd been confused about how Sirius had been able to keep up, how Sirius had always been so close behind him. Then he figured it out, Padfoot! After all, a dog could run faster and further then a human. No matter how fit that human was. So now he knew that he'd never be able to escape unless of course he could find another way out but that seemed highly unlikely.

Suddenly a bright shaft of lightning shot out of the roiling clouds and a deafening rumble came from the sky. The deafening rumble from the sky was echoed by the ground below, which gave a jerk and shook violently. Causing him to stumble but instead of falling onto the grass he came down onto some hard rocks and looking around he saw that he'd left the forest and had entered a wide, open expanse of granite.

There was no-where for him to hide in that wide open expanse but he had to chance it and hope for the best because he couldn't turn back. That would be too dangerous! So with a deep breath he stood up and raced out onto the granite, hoping that he'd be able to reach the other side without Sirius catching up with him.

It wasn't long before he heard Sirius' feet thudding on the granite behind him and he knew that he couldn't let Sirius catch him. Truth be told he'd rather die than let Sirius catch him but that wasn't a likely escape because there wasn't a way for him to kill himself. There was the stream he supposed but then he'd have to circle back the way he'd come from and Sirius would be more than likely to catch him if he did that.

Then he received a miracle! Or so it seemed to him. The ground suddenly fell away below him causing him to stop as he examined the jagged rocks far below. So with a relieved kind of sigh he took a deep breath and jumped, knowing that there was no way that he could survive the fall and his inevitable meeting with the ground. But just as he jumped two warm hands wrapped around his left wrist, brining him up short and as he dangled there he remembered something. Of course; Fabian wouldn't let him die!

_  
"You win_

_I lose_

_You leave with nothin' to prove_

_You rise, I fall_

_I leave with nothing at all_

_You win_

_I lose_

_You leave with nothin' to prove_

_You rise, I fall_

_I leave with nothing_

_Nothing at all_

_Nothing at all, Nothing at all_

_Nothing at all, Nothing at all"_


	11. Chapter Ten: Heart's Desire

**Disclaimer: **See Prologue, I do not own this song either which is "The Reason" by Hoobastank.

**Author's Note:** Here it is, the last chapter and now I can work on my other stories without having to worry about this one. Though of course this means that I won't be updating any stories quickly but hey that's what we all have to live with. Read, review, flame I don't care, just pay attention to me. You can even just post a review that says hi and you'll get a response, you'll always get a response from me, I'm awesome like that.

P.S. Ignore most of the rambling above.

**Chapter Ten: Heart's Desire**

_Sirius has broken Remus' heart but why does he's own ache so? Is he too late to discover what it is his heat truly desire's? If not, then will Remus ever be able to forgive him...?_

"_I'm not a perfect person_

_There's many things I wish I didn't do_

_But I continue learning_

_I never meant to do those things to you_

_And so I have to say before I go_

_That I just want you to know"_

He was so confused and he didn't know why. He knew he should be feeling triumphant for his plan to get back at Remus had gone well but instead there was a dull ache within his heart. Indeed, for the last few days, ever since he had shattered Remus' heart, he had been out of sorts. Like a part of him was missing and for some reason he kept looking for Remus. Remus, though, was long gone; he hadn't stuck around long when the words he'd said had finally sunk in.

Strangely enough when he thought back on all he'd said to Remus he felt absolutely awful and remembering Remus' reactions to his words only made him feel even worse. That wasn't what was bothering him the most though, what bothered him the most was the remembrance of Remus' last words to him before he had fled into the forest. What on this strange planet could Remus have possibly meant?

"*Please, Sirius, don't! You're what my heart truly desire's. Don't you get it? That's the reason why we were brought here, so that we could learn that fact! Don't you remember what it was that Fabian said about the fruit?*"

Perhaps what Remus was hinting at was that what their heart's truly desired was each other? Nah... that couldn't possibly be it for that would mean that he liked Remus as more than just friends and that Remus felt the same way and that they'd both felt that way since before they were brought here. Plus, what did fruit have to do with anything?

'What is the problem Sirius Black?' asked Fabian, doing his neat trick of appearing out of nowhere and startling Sirius so much that he jerked backwards, lost his balance and fell down onto his arse.

'Ah... nothing?' said Sirius looking up at Fabian who sat down opposite of him.

'Really, then why do you seem so lost?' replied Fabian sceptically.

'I don't know,' said Sirius with a shrug and then he added 'What are you doing here?'

'I must always be there when those that I bring here have discovered or are close to discovering what it is that their hearts truly desire.'

'Oh... why?'

'So that they don't do anything stupid.'

'Like what?'

'Like trying to convince themselves that it can't possibly be true' said Fabian with a meaningful look at Sirius, who blushed.

'I don't know what you mean' said Sirius, avoiding Fabian's eyes.

'Suit yourself but answer me this; do you remember what it is that I said about Heart Fruit?'

'Sure.'

'What?'

'That the only thing that we saw as being solid is what out heart's truly desired.'

'Okay and what was the only thing solid that you saw?'

'Remus of course' said Sirius matter-of-fact.

'Hmm?' said Fabian meaningfully.

'Wait! You can't mean that _Remus_ is what I truly desire!'

'Why not?'

'Because... because...' said Sirius, at a loss for words.

'Because you, the only one that _he_ truly desires, broke his heart and shattered his very being not too long ago, right?' said Fabian with a strange look.

'Right' whispered Sirius, mortified with himself as the truth finally sunk in.

'So what are you going to do about it?' asked Fabian curiously.

'I've got to find him! I have to make him listen, to understand, I must apologize!' replied Sirius frantically and without another word he got up and raced off in the direction Remus had taken all those days ago.

"_I've found a reason for me_

_To change who I used to be_

_A reason to start over new_

_And the reason is you"_

It had taken him weeks to find Remus and then, instead of sticking around, Remus had fled from him. Not that he could blame Remus; after all he had set out to destroy him. So now he had been chasing Remus for days, hoping to catch a hold of him; to force him to listen but so far he wasn't doing very well. Obviously Fabian's meddling had changed Remus in ways that Sirius was now finding quite annoying.

There were times though, when Remus would stop running, almost as if Remus wanted him to catch up and this gave him hope. Maybe, even with all the pain, Remus still loved him. This thought alone kept him going for while there was still a chance that Remus still loved him then he wasn't going to quit. Oh how he wished he could catch Remus so that he could beg for Remus' forgiveness!

Suddenly the ground gave a violent heave, causing him to stumble but with barely a thought he kept going, afraid that something may have happened to Remus. He continued at a stumbling run as the ground continuously moved and even though he was afraid of falling and hurting himself he was even more afraid for Remus. Then, not far in front of him, he heard footfalls and he realized that Remus was close. Much closer then he'd ever been before.

So with a feeling of elation that he was finally catching up he put on a spurt of speed and was just in time to see Remus fall into a deep, fast flowing river. He watched on in horror as Remus was swept away and he gave a powerful cry of despair at the thought that he'd lost Remus again, this time to death.

'REMUS!'

It was an hour later and he'd been sitting by the river's edge, numb with disbelief and sorrow. When Fabian suddenly appeared sitting in front of him. The oddest thing about Fabian's appearance though, was the fact that he was sitting quite still and calmly on the rivers raging surface.

'What's wrong now?' asked Fabian curiously.

'Remus is gone' replied Sirius, his tone filled with such an intense pain and loss.

'So why aren't you following him?'

'Because he's dead!' yelled Sirius, suddenly outraged at Fabian's lack of care.

'No he's not.'

'What... are you sure?'

'Of course, while the two of you are under my protection I will not let either of you die' replied Fabian calmly and Sirius got the sense that there was something that Fabian wasn't telling him.

'Great! I've got to find him' said Sirius jumping up with renewed enthusiasm.

'I have a better idea, how about you sleep for an hour or two and when you wake up I'll have moved you closer to Remus.'

'Okay' agreed Sirius uncertainly but he lay down and was soon fast asleep only to wake two hours later in a different place.

*Thank you Fabian* thought Sirius to himself.

Then he got up and started to walk around, all the time calling for Remus and hoping for a reply though he didn't really expect to get one. As he expected, after hours of searching, there was no reply from Remus so he decided he would find something to eat and something to drink to regain his strength. Then he would try again and he would keep on trying. Sooner or later he would find Remus again.

"_I'm sorry that I hurt you_

_It's something I must live with everyday_

_And all the pain I put you through_

_I wish that I could take it all away_

_And be the one who catches all your tears_

_That's why I need you to hear"_

He'd been calling for half an hour and still there was no sound or trace of Remus. He was scared and the fear added a note of despair to his voice. What if Fabian had been lying to him? What if Remus really was dead and all of this had just been some sick game? He fervently hoped that wasn't the case and with the fear and despair strong in his tone he gave one more, mighty, call.

'Remus, where are you? Can you hear me? Please, answer me!'

'Siri...'

The started response of Remus' call had barely reached him when it was abruptly cut off and he realized what must have happened. Remus must have been asleep, or near to sleep, only to wake up and hear his call which had started an automatic reply from Remus. Remus had always been like that; if you ever wanted something from him then the best time to ask was when he was either just waking up or just dropping off. That was when you got the best responses from Remus.

With a feeling of elation he bounded through the dying trees in the direction from whence Remus' call had come from. When suddenly and without any warning he left the cover of the trees and there Remus was! There he was, just standing there on the other side of the river and it appeared that he was lost in thought. Just like old times, Remus was always getting lost in his own head. For a moment he stayed still and quiet, taking in with his eyes all of Remus' magnificence and he berated himself for the pain he saw in those much loved features. So with a feeling of deep sorrow and in a much quieter voice he called out to Remus once more.

'Remus!'

He felt shame build within him when he saw how much his close call startled Remus but that soon disappeared as Remus' eyes locked with his own. For a moment they stayed like that, lost in each other's faces, then Remus was suddenly off and running once more. Causing his heart to skip a beat as its one true desire fled from him.

'Remus wait! Please, let me explain'

His call made Remus stumble and slow down but then Remus started running again. But he didn't really care this time though, for he was filled with hope. Obviously, on some deep level, Remus still cared for him otherwise his last call wouldn't have affected Remus so badly. Now all he needed to do was to somehow grab a hold of Remus and make him listen. Then everything would be alright and they could go home!

"_I've found a reason for me_

_To change who I used to be_

_A reason to start over new_

_And the reason is you"_

He didn't know how Remus could keep it up for much longer; _he_ couldn't keep it up for much longer. He was exhausted, they'd been running almost nonstop for days now and he could no longer feel his legs. It seemed to him that Remus really, really, _really_ didn't want to see him and if this was the lengths to which Remus was willing to go then he wasn't sure if he'd be able to keep up.

But he wouldn't give up! He needed to apologize to Remus and explain why he'd done something so stupid and nothing, not his tired body or Remus and his stubbornness, were going to stop him. He must admit that he'd like to rest though, to regain his lost energy, but he didn't dare to for then Remus could get further ahead and he might never be able to find him again.

'Slowing down are we, Sirius Black?' asked Fabian, coming out of no-where and causing Sirius to fall over.

'Stop doing that!' said Sirius irritably.

'At least it seems that you have more sense than Remus Lupin' said Fabian, sitting down opposite of him.

'You've seen Remus?' said Sirius with hope and joy bubbling from his tone.

'I have _and_ I've convinced him to lie still and sleep' replied Fabian calmly.

'Then this is my chance! I can catch up to Remus while he is sleeping!' said Sirius, struggling to stand up.

'It seems that you're as stubborn as Remus after all, sit, stay and rest, you'll be able to catch Remus much easier if you're not falling over from exhaustion' said Fabian, reaching out a hand to halt Sirius' movements.

'Maybe you're right' said Sirius and he stopped his struggle to rise.

'Of course I am but before you rest there is something important I must tell you.'

'What?' asked Sirius curiously.

'I have made Remus promise that, if you should catch him then, he will stop and listen to what you have to say.'

'Thank you' said Sirius, giving Fabian a weary smile of gratitude for his help.

'Don't mention it, now sleep Sirius Black for tomorrow is a new day' said Fabian, rising gracefully to his feet.

With a nod Sirius lay down and was soon fast asleep and all his dreams were filled with Remus and of how things used to be. Fabian on the other hand made sure that there was food within sight of Sirius for when he woke up. Then with a sad shake of his head he turned and walked away, hoping against hope that Sirius could fix what he had broken, for he quite liked these boys and he really didn't want to kill them.

"_I'm not a perfect person_

_I never meant to do those things to you_

_And so I have to say before I go_

_That I just want you to know"_

He had been walking for a while now; conserving his energy for what he was sure would be the final dash. He had no doubt that that was how this was all going to end. With Remus making one last ditch effort to escape and with himself making one last effort to catch a hold of Remus. He could only hope that before that day came that Remus would drain most of his energy while he conserved his own.

Though what he hoped for may not be what happened, he was feeling very optimistic about it though, for during the time that he'd been walking he'd had no sign nor sound of Remus. But as soon as that thought had formed it vanished for in a gap of the trees, a fair distance ahead, he spotted the glint of sunlight off of Remus' golden hair. Instead of racing after Remus, like he wanted too and thus alerting Remus to his presence, he decided to follow Remus as quietly as he could. Perhaps he'd be able to get close enough to Remus to catch a hold of him and then maybe he'd be able to fix his big mistake.

So for hours he followed Remus quietly, noticing that Remus didn't keep an eye on his surroundings. A sure sign that he was lost in thought and slowly he got closer to Remus, until he was so close that the fierce winds were blowing Remus' thrilling scent into his face. Then, with a sense of conscious that was unfamiliar to him, he decided that he could not just grab a hold of Remus with no warning. It had to be Remus' choice to listen to him; he would not force him too.

'Moony, please?' he called from just a few steps from Remus and silent tears fell from his eyes as he realized subconsciously that Remus would never choose to listen to him, not after what he had done.

Remus glanced back at him, startled and then with a shake of the head he said 'I can't! If you want me to listen then you will have to catch me. That is what I promised after all.'

Then Remus was off and running once more and after a despairing cry of "Moony" he was once more chasing after him but this time he had a new and stronger hope within his heart. Remus had promised to listen to him if he caught him, and Remus never went back on a promise.

"_I've found a reason for me_

_To change who I used to be_

_A reason to start over new_

_And the reason is you"_

Once more they'd been running for days and he knew that if Fabian hadn't popped up on that first day and told him something then he'd never have been able to stay so close to Remus. Because Remus had been as well rested as he had been and because of the changes in Remus' physiology, Remus should have been well ahead of him. But Fabian had changed that.

Fabian had appeared and, while running alongside him, had proceeded to tell him something. It seemed that Fabian had muddled in his own D.N.A and had made it possible for him to be able to change into Padfoot and back without having to remove, and then replace, his clothes. This had been excellent news! The only reason that he hadn't been changing into Padfoot to keep up with Remus had been the fact that he'd have lost more time then he gained by taking his clothes on and off.

So he had been periodically changing into Padfoot and back, so that Remus couldn't increase the distance between them. This time he would catch Remus and he wouldn't stop until he did! Remus was his and Remus was just going to have to learn to live with that fact. There was no denying it and no turning back. Remus was the only thing that his heart well and truly desired and he loved Remus, flaws and all. Remus was the one person who he was more than willing to give his life for; if it became necessary to do such a thing.

Suddenly a bright shaft of lightning shot out of the roiling clouds and a deafening rumble came from the sky. The deafening rumble from the sky was echoed by the ground below, which gave a jerk and shook violently. Causing him to stumble and fall onto the grass where he stayed, swearing violently for a couple of seconds, before he was up and running once more.

A couple of minutes later he left the forest and entered a wide open expanse of granite. Without pausing he raced out onto the granite for there, not far ahead, was Remus. Here, this was where he would catch Remus for there was no-where for him to hide. If Remus did try to turn around to return to the forest then it'd just be easier for him to catch him.

So with renewed energy he raced on after Remus while the sky above darkened further and constant little tremors passed through the ground below. He was gaining on Remus! There was no denying it, though he doubted if Remus realized it, he looked as though he wasn't paying attention to anything but the need to escape.

Suddenly he realized that that could be dangerous, if Remus came to another stream or even a cliff with that thought in his head then he would act without even considering the consequences. Almost as soon as that thought occurred to him Remus stopped moving and stood looking down at something. With a dry mouth and a heart thudding painfully in his chest with his fear, he called on his last reserves of energy and made a last dash to catch Remus. Just as he got within less than a foot of Remus, Remus flung himself off of the edge of the cliff he had been standing on. With desperation he grabbed a hold of Remus' left wrist in both of his hands and braced his exhausted body to take Remus' weight.

For a moment they stayed like that; Remus looking down at the death he had so narrowly avoided and Sirius standing there, holding tight as relief swept though his body and causing him to blurt out the first thing that came to his mind.

'Moony... I caught you!' said Sirius with such unfeigned warmth and love in his voice that Remus gave a start and looked up at him in wonder.

"_I've found a reason to show_

_A side of me you didn't know_

_A reason for all that I do_

_And the reason is you"_


End file.
